Reading: OEG
by HunterXKiller87
Summary: The first Reading Fanfic on the Neptunia Franchise. Watch as the canon cast of Neptunia characters read/watch the story 'One Eyed G Re:Birth' Let the chaos commence.
1. Chapter 1

**Reading OEG - Chapter 1**

Peace…

Something Gamindustri had just regained after some harsh trials.

Everywhere one looked, they could see the fruits of the labors those who went through those trials wrought on the continent. They would see people wandering about, living their ordinary lives. They would see bloggers and journalists doing their thing, writing up the biggest hits they could find into articles, They would see people living happily and merrily content in the normalcy that occupied their lives right about now.

Though, if they looked at a certain someone, they'd find that their reaction to the new peace was… not exactly the same as everyone else's.

* * *

"I'm boooooooooooooorrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeddd!"

A loud, feminine wail resounded through the personal quarters of the Planeptune Basilicom. The time was 15:00 in the afternoon, and in the personal living room of these quarters there lay the sole cause of the voice that was responsible for the wail. Lying sprawled out on the sofa with her legs kicking the air behind her while her face was buried within a cushion, a look of annoyance and boredom on her face. Neptune, CPU of Planeptune, and she was…

Well, BORED!

Ever since the defeat of Kurome and the salvation of her counterpart Uzume, there hadn't been much excitement these days. She'd finished her backlog of games that she had accumulated throughout their adventures in Zerodimension, the Gold Third reign and Heart dimension what felt like years ago, but in reality it had only been a couple weeks. The problem? Now that she had no games left to play that were new, she was left wondering what to do next Aside from work though, something that WAS important… just not enough to register in the perky CPU's mind.

A bored Neptune was NOT a happy Neptune.

Now, she could just go back and play some more of the older games she had, Neptune LOVED games after all (though not to the point a certain Gaming Goddess did tho…-_-) but sometimes even games got boring in which case she would go and visit one of her many friends that she'd made. They'd have some wacky moments, all in go fun of course, which would end in her being satisfied and energized enough to return to her games. However, all of them would be too busy with their own lives for anything fun to do, so here she was, stuck with little to nothing to entertain herself with.

"Maybe I could pay a visit to lonely heart Noire? It's in the afternoon, so I'd guess she'd be working her pretty little booty off in her office. Now, how would I go about it…?" the girl mumbled thoughtfully, looking up from her cushion to the ceiling above her. She had an index finger on the bottom of her chin, and a series of question marks floating above her head for what felt like an eternity… when it had been only a few minutes, before those question marks popped out of existence and were replaced by a single exclamation mark. "Oh, I know!" Neptune proclaimed while shooting up into a japanese sitting position, a hand fisting her palm."I'll just give her the Neptastic 'front door' special! Hehehehe, this is going to be fun, maybe I could even get her to gimme some of Lastation's Puddings!"

Her game plan set, Neptune hopped off the sofa with a cartoonish hopping sound effect accompanying her (it's a gaming universe, role with it, says the Nep…) as she began prepping to pa Noire a surprise visit. This would be fun, she could already imagine it now, Noire's teary eyes of frustration as she's signing papers, then POP coms in Neptune and everything falls onto the floors! Then the hellish rage of Noire is finally unleashed in all it's glorious splendor, not helped of course by her usual 'lonely heart' comments.

Honestly, if someone drew her with a Devil tail and horns, they'd not be too wrong…

But before Neptune could commence her grand plan of teasing and yelling from the receiver's end, the door to her living room slid open with an audible hissing sound.

"Nep-Nep, are you in?"

"Nep, get over here already!"

"Oh! I know those cute voices!"

As quick as she thought up that plan of hers, Neptune ditched it like yesterday's newspaper and bounded across the floor towards the entrance to her living quarters, her eyes shining at the sight of two girls she knew all too well. How could she not, she'd been on multiple life-threatening adventures with them both, all with a happy grin on her face, no less!

"Iffy, Compa!"

That cheerful cry accompanied her as Neptune leapt into the air and crashed into the one she called Compa, the said Nurse beaming happily as she hugged her friend back with equal force that she was given. She even twirled the girl around, getting a loud giggle from Neptune before she put her down again. Neptune then tried to do the same for IF, also known as Iffy by her friends, but she used the ever impressive iron claw on Neptune's face to block her. "Sorry, Nep, no can do,"

"Aw, you know you love me, Iffy, that's why you visit mwah everyday." Neptune cheerfully replied through her hand, backing off afterwards. Her happy face then turned to a confused look as she tilted her head curiously. "But geez, what gives? You guys haven't come around for a while, I was beginning to get lonely." Her eyes widened as an idea came to her mind. "#GASP# don't tell me you found someone better than me! Nooo! I won't lose to some random stranger on the streets! Where is she, whose the one who took you?!"

A fist to the head stopped the petite girl's tantrum, courtesy of an annoyed Guild Agent. IF heaved a sigh of annoyance, though she had seen this coming from someone like this lazy idiot. "That's not it, Nep, quit being so dramatic." she scolded. "Unlike you, we have lives to lead and we don't laze about. Anyways, we've been swamped with Guild work, and Compa's been working harder than ever at the Hospital. We just came here just in case you tried anything stupid, which according to what we just saw, you kinda were." her eyes turned accusingly at the purplette, whom looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Compa giggled to herself at the sight, a beaming grin on her features as she witnessed Neptune getting the usual treatment from the brunette Guild Agent. "Iffy is so stern with Nep-Nep, they are such good friends…" she remarked, putting her hands behind her back.

* * *

Once the commotion settled down, Compa turned to Neptune and noticed that there was someone missing from their little group. A certain CPU Candidate of course. "Um, Nep-Nep? Where's Ge-Ge? I thought she'd be here with you, fattening you up with express Puddings?" Compa questioned curiously. Usually, Neptune's younger sister (who looked like an older Neptune, actually) would be here trying to get Neptune's attention by being her personal maid or something. Neptune should really pay more attention to her younger sister, Compa thought to herself.

"Uh… I dunno, I think Histy has her out doing some Quest stuff, I think…"

"Work that YOU should be doing to then, Nep?"

"#AWKWARD LAUGH#"

"IF is right." The sound of church bells rung in Neptune's mind when she saw a familiar book-travelling Fairy float into the room, arms crossed and looking as pissty as she ever was. Usually Histoire, Planeptune's Oracle, had her anger directed at Neptune's lack of a work ethic, which seemed to be the case today as well. "Your younger sister is outshining you, Neptune, she's out there doing the work that Planeptune's CPU ought to be doing right now."

"Urk! The Histy has activated lecture mode… it's super effective!"

"If it was effective, then GO DO SOME WORK!"

"But Histyyyyyyyy, work is booooooooorrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnggggggggg! It's no fun whatsoever."

At this point, tick marks were forming on Histoire's forehead. While it was true that recently Neptune had been useful in keeping Planeptune and Gamindustri safe from various threats like Rei Ryghts and Kurome, Histoire had hoped those events would stop her from being so lazy and actually make her a proper CPU for once. Unfortunately, it turned out to be no dice, for Neptune seemed to still retain her laziness streak. At this point, she could only hope for a miracle that would get her into a proper CPU mindset.

"So, how have you been doing, Nep-Nep?" Compa questioned, before she noticed how the purplette's console and controller seemed to be lying on the floor in front of the TV, Unused. This DEFINITELY prompted an eyebrow arching from the girl, as well as a serious increase in her confusion stat. "I thought you'd be gaming away on your console all day like normal."

At this point, Neptune's boredom resurfaced, prompting her tpo huff in annoyance while she crossed her arms. "I would, but there hasn't been any new games recently and i'm not feeling the urge to play some of the older games. I must have uhhhhh, what's it called…. #gasp# gamers block, that's it!"

"Wow…" IF muttered, her eyes slightly widened in surprise. So much so that she had stopped pressing keys on her phone that she had been doing ever since her last line in this story. "That's the first time i've ever seen Nep experiencing gamer's block…., thought that Lady Vert would be the one to have that happen to her first…" she remarked in slight amazement. Shehad expected Neptune to never have to experience that kind of block, since she played games so often whenever they visited in the past.

Looked like that wasn't the case here.

"Is that so? Well then, that's an easy problem to solve, Nep-Nep!" Compa proclaimed cheerily, getting the preteen;s attention. With how she had a degree in Nursing now, Neptune would rely on the expert's opinion to solve this crisis. "Simply take a break from games for a while!"

"… EH?!"

Save for that.

"Wha-wha-wha?! Compa, you can't be serious!" Neptune proclaimed in shock, almost stepping back like she was in front of something disgusting like those bug-like monsters from the ultradimension. She could still remember how ugly they were and their backstory had been just as ugly! Heck, fans actually commented online about that part of the story! "Gamindustri's a gaming franchise! Everything is about games in this world, and you're asking me to take a break from that?! What would I do in the meantime anyways, certainly not work like Histy's thinking within that small noggin o'hers!"

At the side, Histoire cursed under her breath, she'd been hoping that Neptune hadn't noticed that little titbit.

IF remained silent, but that didn't mean she wasn't the least bit interested in what was happening. Even she wanted to know what Compa would say to something like this, it was rare for her to suggest anything smart in their adventures, considering her ditzy personality, so this would be something she'd like to see. ,

"Well, how about something else to do with games, but not at the same time?" Compa suggested, much to everyone's confusion. Confusion that she soon clarified when she saw it all. "A work colleague of mine, I don't know her name because she calls herself BAI, is a fanfiction writer and she recommended me a fanfiction. She says its an addicting read, one of the better ones, actually." Compa explained firther, pulling out her phone and beginning to search for the Story link she'd been sent via text.

Neptune's berrow furrowed at the mention of fanfictions. "Ugh, you mean the stories made by the pervs out there who only wanna see us in Harems or having lemons with each other for days?" she remarked, scoffing while crossing her arms and turning her head away. "No way! Pretty sure my fans wouldn't approve of some random OC jumping this hot bod! Nope, no sir!"

"But that's only if it became canon, Nep." IF interjected when she saw the dejection in Compa's eyes. She had a similar opinion, but hey she would wait before judging this idea. For all she knew, an interesting read might be before her, and plus, she wouldn't admit it but she too wanted to know what kind of fanfic had been recommended to her friend. "Plus, you can't judge a book by it's cover, and hopefully there aren't all perverts on our fanfiction site. There's bound to be SOME who wanna be good writers."

"But Iffffffyyyyyy, the dreaded harem genre! #SPOOKY TONE#"

"It's not real, Nep! Beside's, I know a few girls who are into that genre as well, you know! Anyways, what's the fanfiction called, Compa?"

Both girls turned to the Nurse with Histoire floating between them, Compa, whom had then seen their gazes, looked up at them and held her Phone out. "Found it while you lot were arguing away like little children." she replied innocently. "It's called 'One Eyed G Re:Birth, looks to be a retelling of the rebirth series, Nep-Nep!"

"Huh, well people did say that one has better storytelling than the original, according to reviews…" Neptune mused, a hand on her chin in thought. She still didn't look too certain, though. "Oh well, I guess it's something, at least. If it doesn't look too engaging, i'll just go pes-I mean, visit Noire some."

Histoire's brow twitched at that, but she remained silent. She too had been aware of fanfiction and how there were many perverts out there who try to write stories where they could put their own dark fantasies into it, but she also had read some stories which were actually really engaging to read, she read some whenever she could take a break or just before she would go to bed. Hopefully, this one would be part of the latter, but first, there was something they needed to do. "Before you begin reading girls, may I just retrieve something?"

Her sudden question drew curious stares from the girls, to which the little woman promptly flew off. She returned to the living room moments later, visibly struggling to carry this large, black and purple futuristic-looking projector. After a slightly panicked IF and Compa (supported with some frantic yelling by Neptune) got it off her and onto the floor before the TV, Histoire, while rubbing her slightly aching arms, began to explain what it was that she had brought. "This is a device that has been recently invented by your sister, Neptune. She calls it the 'N-Projector', she made it for the twins so they could watch some of the more complicated education books that Mina would use for their education as if they were movies. We can use this to view ths Fanfiction as one for those who… don't read many manuals these days."

At this, she aimed a look of accusation towards Neptune, who whistled away innocently while looking at anything but her.

"Alrighty, let's have fun together, guys!" Compa cheered merrily while Histoire helped her prepare the projector. IF helped too, and soon enough the projector had been successfully activated and was waiting for the story.

"According to Nepgear, you insert the link to the story in here…" Histoire began after a quick look at the manual she'd taken with her, Compa handing her the Phone before she inputted the link to the Fanfiction. The Projector whirled to life seconds later, and while it did that the others soon sat on the Sofa. Neptune even had some popcorn ready. Don't ask how, it's Neptune. At last, the Projector shot a screen out of it's lense, filling the entire side of the room with it's size. "There, it works!"

"I wonder what this is going to be like…" Compa mused thoughtfully as the screen began flashing to show that it was working alright, according to the manual anyways. Then, she noticed the screen acting weirdly, and her eyes soon widened when they saw why. "Ooooooh! This Author must have been really into this, he made an Opening for his story!"

Now IF had to whistle, impressed. "Okay, even if this turns out to be bad, the fact that he made an OP means he put effort into this fanfiction." she admitted, with a grudging sense of respect.

Even Neptune didn't have anything to say, and she hadn't been to thrilled about reading a fanfic likely about her and the girls being used for sexual pleasure.

* * *

 _OEG - OP_

 **Oh won't you tell me, please just tell me, explain how this should work**

The black screen is slowly illuminated to show a lake and sky, the lake reflecting the skies colour. In the middle, there is a chair, which had its reflection right beneath it. A young man is sitting on the chair, but his form is distant so his features aren't visible.

* * *

"OC alert guys! OC alert!"

"Hush now, Neptune."

* * *

 **Well now who could it be, that lives inside of me?**

Everything is illuminated briefly like a flash bang, before the screen zooms in on the man's body upper body. His crimson red hair is shown hanging downwards to cover his eyes, swaying in some silent wind. His hands were tied to the sides of his chair, yet he makes no movements, as if he was nothing but a corpse.

 **I'm broken, lying helpless shattered, surrounded by this lonely world**

The screen shifts to the right side, where one can see Neptune standing within the Mirror world with Compa standing beside her. There were several other female figures, but shrouded in darkness standing around them, their reflections shown below them. The silent wind ruffled their clothes, and as the screen closed in on them, it showed their eyes were closed as they looked downwards. Slowly, their eyes opened and they stared into each other's.

 **And Yet you're smiling bright, completely blind to life.**

"The scene shifts to the left, where an ominous white cloaked figure was standing, grinning sinisterly as his clothes fluttered in the silent breeze. His grin was shark-like, showing his sharp teeth as his eyes slowly opened as well. Unlike Neptune and Compa, who were both serene and peaceful, this person's features showed nothing but sinister, wild and bloodthirsty intent.

 **#Instrumental#**

Everything shifts to a simple city-like background, with large cracks like a vulnerable piece of glass in front of it. Behind the glass, various characters appeared, flashing by like images in a slideshow. Some are revealed to be the young man, Neptune, IF, Compa, and others have been darkened into silhouettes. These characters then were replaced by the title, which was in big, bold crimson letters that had trails of blood going down them. The title was called 'One Eyed G Re:birth'.

 **My ruptured lungs, they were left this way, for once I'm out of breath**

The red haired man is walking down a city street, looking ahead while something lurks in the glass beside him, his reflection following every movement. It was almost like he was trying to avoid looking at himself for whatever reason.

The scene shifts to Neptune, who is travelling down another street, but this time she was looking at a glassy window with one eye, seeing her HDD form Purple Heart staring back at her.

 **Freeze!**

Various characters, Compa, IF, are seen walking by ether down some stairs with glassy windows showing their reflections, or across the streets with similar glass reflections. Compa's reflection is darkened and barely visible, while IF's reflection showed her reflection but… different, somehow.

 **I'm breakable; unbreakable, I'm Shakable yet, unshakable, until the day that you find me.**

The screen turns into a black void, and the white figure is soon seen at the centre. Something comes out of him, and its revealed to be strange white flower petals. They came out of him like they were growing out of him, illuminating the darkness with their light yet also strangely mutating into something horrific. The figures eyes, wide with glee, closed as if he was struggling to contain himself from going wild, like he was waiting for the right moment.

 **I'll stand here, existing and feeling this wretched existence, consuming life force, till I grow distant.**

In the next scene, the void is present, but this time Neptune in her HDD form is shown, standing with her back to the screen. She has several wing-like petals growing out of her, with more flowers seemingly growing out of those coming from her back. She slowly turns to the camera, her eyes gradually closing themselves shut with a troubled frown on her features.

 **Don't bother looking for someone like me, a fading no one. I don't want to hurt you, it's not my nature. A monster born from dusk to dawn can't be your saviour.**

The next scene shows the red haired man falling down into an ocean, sinking beneath its depths. His body was positioned like he had fallen from a great height, and now he was gradually sinking into depths that nobody would reach. Down below, the scene shows the darkness of the depths below, where two figures are rising upwards, as if sinking upwards with their backs turned to him. The three meet, and the screen shows the three people, The red haired man, the white haired figure whose face closely resembles the redhead's now that the girls looked at them, and an older version of the red haired man. Said man is staring wide-eyed, lost, into the camera, while the white one is grinning sinisterly and the older one is Nonchalant. The older one is larger than the other white version, like he was trying to protect the normal man from the grinning one.

 **So please think of me, as who I used to be.**

The final scene shows a brief rising of bubbles that leads to the mirror world again, only this time a stoic looking man is staring at the screen, his face devoid of any emotion whatsoever. His eyes are lifeless, broken, as if everything he had was ripped away from him. The screen, which showed a close-up of his face, gradually receded backwards, to show that his clothes had been replaced with barely recognisable rags.

 **#Fading out instrumental#**

The music fades out after the camera pulls back and the screen returns to darkness.

* * *

Once the OP finished, there was definitely an… extreme reaction from the girls.

"WOOOOOOOW!" Neptune shrieked, her eyes wide and sparkly as she gushed like a waterfall while looking at the screen. A complete opposite to er previous demeanor if there ever was one. Her doubts about the story didn't fade away completely, but just from the OP Neptune could tell that this story would be a good one! She couldn't have taken her eyes away if she tried, heck she didn't even touch her popcorn yet, that was just how riveted she had been with all the flashing images and awesome soundtrack. If she was standing, then she'd be jumping up and down like a schoolgirl on a sugar rush. Heck, she nearly did if it weren't for her nearly hitting Compa. "That looked so cool! There was a really cool beat to that song, that tune rocked!"

IF smirked, crossing her arms under her chest. One could tell how much she approved of this thing already. "The music's good, and the Lyrics were quite interesting, too." she remarked, having paid attention to what the lyrics said when they were shown on the screen. "I can tell this story's going to be a complex one, I get the feeling this thing's talking about secrets and how they impact other people's people tend to act differently until they can show their true selves." Memories of that one shrewd Businessman Ganache, and then the one Neptune told her about after the Ultradimension incident Mr Badd. "Though, i'm honestly intrigued about what those reflection scenes were about. They seemed like they held some symbolic meaning there." Especially her apparent other in that sequence, the way her reflection looked… it honestly concerned yet intrigued her at the same time.

"It also didn't spoil us too much about the plot for the story." Compa mused, smiling happily. She didn't like how some OP's spol the plotline when she watches the first episode of an anime, so this one who only showed the characters, and even then some of them didn't show through the darkness that covered them, intrigued the young Nurse greatly. While the song itself had been rivetting to listen too (she'd definitely been bobbing her head up and down, and lightly patting her lap a few times) that other point was the main highlight for her.

Histoire had a similar opinion, but something else drew her attention. "Everything was intriguing, but I wonder about this youngman. That would be the final test to see if he's the typical harem protagonist or not." she remarked, though she could admit that he had a lot about him already. Just from the opening, she could see he had a struggle all his own to show, especially when she saw the three versions of him together. She couldn't help but shudder when she saw the maniacal grin that white version of the man showed himself on screen. The shot where the older one seemed to protect the main one from the white one was also an interesting point for her, to the Tome, it seemed that these three held a LOT of similarities and differences, yet all three seem to rely on each other in some way.

He honestly reminded her about the CPUs, in some ways,

"Well, at least it doesn't seem like a typical harem story." Neptune remarked, trying to curb stomp her excitement about reading/watching the next chapter… although it failed miserably. She'd read some fanfics about that in her past times before, and there were mostly the same that it started getting bland to her. She guessed people liked that genre because of perverted reasons, but so far this Story's OP showed her that this one had more to it than just a simple harem. The reason she found this to be a harem story already simply was because there were so any female characters and few males, which was a big sign of harem anime and manga.

Looking to the others, the Tome spoke with a resolute tone. "So, we are all in agreement then? Shall we get the next chapter rolling?" She questioned, getting confirmation nods from the others. "Very well, Compa, how many chapters are there?"

"Well… wow, this person must have aching hands cause there's over 90, and the word count is over 800K!"

"Whoa! That's longer than many of Blanc's books! You think this dude's put in some effort into this story, or what?" Neptune yelled, surprise evident on her features.

IF could only nod, even she had been surprised by that bit of info. Now she REALLY wanted to know what it was like. "Well then, ladies, switch to chapter 1!"

A "Yessy!" came from Compa as she did the action on her Phone, the next chapter starting up on the Projector…


	2. Chapter 2- reading chap 1

**Hey guys!**

 **This is a Fanfiction that is kind of new and not at the same time. I've seen it in other series like Highschool DXD and stuff, but not in Hyperdimension. Now, I don't think that's right, this idea has a lot of ways to be fitted into this franchise, yet nobody tries to do one? Where;s the logic in that?**

 **Thus, I decided to do it.**

 **It's the first ever Reading fic for Hyperdimension Neptunia, whooo!**

 **#CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!#**

 **Now, people please review this, because I wanna know if i'm doing it right. I try to keep them in character as much as I can, but it'll be quite difficult. Please, lemme know if it's wrong and i'll try to not make the same mistake twice, though no promises.**

 **Anyways, on with the chapter!**

* * *

With the opening song still fresh in their minds, IF, Neptune, Compa and Histoire wasted no time in seeing the first chapter in action for themselves. They couldn't help but wonder what it would be like, especially with that opening. Neptune hoped it wouldn't be just a simple lemon fic, Compa wanted to see if it was worth reading or not, while similar opinions were with IF and Histoire. Though, the latter wanted to know more about the young man whom was part of the opening.

Soon, the projector began displaying everything while using the chapter as a base to construct the fic in a video-like format.

* * *

 **Chapter 1 - Enter Nico**

 **The smell of blood filled his nostrils from every angle, originating from the figurative 'floor' of corpses around him. These corpses were once a large group of monsters that had been terrorising a nearby village, constantly raiding it for its supplies, killing any who stood in their way. Sometimes they would capture the female villagers there and bring them here… for purposes he'd rather not explain.**

 **His eyes narrowed when there was a faint sound of breathing nearby. It was so quiet that if he were 'normal' then he wouldn't have heard it, as another monster crept up from below a corpse. However, a quick SCULUCK from one of his weapons put an end to the monster's life before it could even come out of hiding. "Fool…" he whispered under his breath, shaking his head at the stupidity of his most recent prey while he turned on his heels as he proceeded to head out. "You couldn't ever have surprised someone like me. The true monster of this world, the apex predator of man."**

* * *

"Hehehe, sounds like the start of one of Blanc's books."

"Nep-Nep..."

"Nep, stop dissing someone when they aren't even here. If Blanc heard you she'd probably whack you up the ass with her Hammer again."

* * *

 **By now you're wondering who I am, right? Well let me enlighten you.**

 **My name is Nico, no last name. As a 16-year, old male in the world known as Gamindustri, I lead an interesting life, hunting down monsters, ripping them apart with my weapons and generally being a freaking badass. I get to hunt monsters because I'm with the Guild, or to be more specific a 'Spec Ops' Agent. The Guild is an organisation that is spread across the 4 Nations of Gamindustri, Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. It receives and gives quests to those that are either partially registered or fully registered as Guild Agents.**

 **Those who are partially registered are the adventurers that you see around every so often. Depending on their skill level and resume, they can hunt a variety of different monsters and take on different quests. There wasn't much out this that was note-worthy though, the real juicy details reside with becoming full-fledged agents of the Guild. Now if one is a Guild Agent they have more responsibility to the Guild than just taking quests, they must take part in specific quests when called for, and have special passes that allow them to travel freely throughout the other nations. In a sense, they're just like extra-glorified mercenaries, and come in a variety of forms. Seriously there was one agent who looked like a kid but was in her thirties. Yeesh, never assume a girl's age right off the bat unless you want to be kicked where the sun doesn't shine.**

 **Finally, there's the 'Spec-Ops' agents of the Guild, and boy are they cool. If you wanna be a badass, fulfil the criteria, take the exams, and join these guys. They are the definition of badassery, not only can they do the same things as regular agents, but they can potentially access the weapons development department, who have them test out the prototype versions of the weapons they supply to the military. Usually they're grade A material, and those that are faulty don't impact the Agen't performance, unlike regular agents. Regular Guild Agents, adventurers, the like, anyone can take the exam so long as they meet the criteria to becoming a Spec Ops. Spec Ops Agents are significantly more skilled than regular agents, have better weapons, better armour, and can deal a whole load of pain to the enemies while taking on the phone. Seriously, this one guy in a red and black spandex fought off 100 of the fastest monsters around… while talking on the phone. That's the DEFINITION of badass.**

 **And I am one of them.**

 **Most Agents, normal or Spec Ops, have either weird titles or codenames, and I am no exception. My Codename is DEATHSTROKE, and I got it from this special deployable armour I have, given to me by the Weapons Development Department (WDD). This armour is made of a metal called 'Nth Metal' and underneath this armour there is an extra form of protection called chainlink mail, with extra armour plates over the body made of Promethium. Aside from my weapons, this armour is a favourite of mine, aside from a special Mask I can use, and it even has regenerative properties! How cool was that?**

 **When I haven't got my badass armour on, I merely look like a lean built male of 5 foot 8, with gravity defying red hair like a certain copy ninja from a certain village, and light blue coloured eyes. My attire is a black trench coat with a high collar and a red pulsating interior, a pair of black fingerless gloves on my hands, a grey polo shirt, a pair of grey coloured camp pants and black military boots. Strapped to my hips are a pair of black leather holsters, another one just below the back of my waist, and one last holster strapped diagonally across my back. On my forearms are a pair of grey wrist bracers which have their own functions, though when my Armour is deployed they merge with the forearm parts, so it looks like I have a pair of interfaces on my forearms.**

 **… Huh? What, you wanna know more? Haven't I told you enough? Let's just read the story.**

* * *

Neptune grinned as she saw the fourth wall breaking here. She gave a thumbs up while sticking out her tongue childishly. "Good on you, fellow protag! Meta jokes for the win!"

IF hummed as she thought about this Spec Ops Agent stuff. From what she could tell through all that boasting (she couldn't help the roll of her eyes when seeing that), was that they were an elite group of Agents, and that one has to take an exam before joining them. Once they do however, they get assess to various weapons that weren't even mass produced yet, but were expected to be good enough even without the gear. Though, just why were these Agents made necessary? That's what she wanted to know. This Codename stuff also intrigued her, making her mentally note to bring it up when she next had to attend a meeting at the Guild herself.

When they finally saw what the teen looked like, Neptune and the girls each hummed thoughtfully, each of them analyzing him intently. "Hmmm... well, he's not too bad, I guess..." Neptune remarked to herself as she looked him up and down. "Bit on the dark and broody side, save for his red hair and blue eyes. Guess he has that going for him at least."

"Huh...? Oh, Nep-Nep,no need to be all rude and stuff." Compa chastised.

Histoire eyed the way the male walked as he returned to Planeptune. It looked like he was a Planeptune Citizen anyways, and from the way he walked the Oracle assumed he had been trained extensively. The way he walked was with purpose, with drive, and there was a strong sense of military in his movements, like he was constantly ready to fend off attackers at every angle. On the outside the teen looked calm and collected, but she could sense how alert he really was.

* * *

 **Nico arrived at Planeptune, the Nation that he had been his home for the last 4 years. The city was just as breath-taking as it usually was, and even now he could never get used to seeing it on the horizon every time he returned from a job. The buildings were tall and futuristic looking, with various pieces of tech floating about. Some of them had solar panels installed on the roofs, while the government buildings had holographic screens with adverts for various products on their sides. There was a mostly white with a little purple colour scheme going about, but Nico didn't mind.**

 **The male Spec Ops Agent went to the Guild where he proceeded to hand in the quests he had taken for the day. Judging by the sun's position he had guessed that it was 5PM, he had only an hour left until he had to meet a friend of his. While he navigated the Guild, Nico scanned the surroundings, watching all the other agents, both normal and Spec-Ops, along with the Adventurers, mingling about talking with each other or doing their jobs like he was. An environment like this was something that Nico felt at home in, even if Planeptune wasn't his original nation, although he would get to that later readers.**

 **Glancing to the clock, Nico saw that he had about 20 minutes before he had to head out to meet his friend. 'Man, I can't wait, that girl definitely knows how to cook. If someone ends up marrying her then breaking her heart I'll skin them alive to hell with the consequences…' he thought to himself about to leave the building.**

* * *

"That's... a bit harsh." Compa muttered, shuddering at the imagery that the male OC had used for that line. "Mr Ni-Ni seems kinda scary..."

"Ni-Ni?" Neptune questioned, turning to her friend in confusion. "Uh, Compa are you falling victim to the hare genre already? No! Snap out of it, you can';t fall, you can't-"

BONK!

"Hush, Neptune! I thought we told you not to judge! Besides, Compa does have a point, that is a bit of an extreme reaction."

"Well, i'd probably do something similar, though they'd be alive still by the end of it." IF remarked casually, getting a surprised look from her Nurse friend.

"Iffy?!"

"I'm joking, i'm joking!"

* * *

 **But before he could get to the door…**

 **"Ugh, can you let me through please? I got stuff to do, so beat it!"**

 **"Why rush about, little lady? Come with us and we'll show you how to really have fun."**

* * *

Now THAT caught the brunette's attention.

"Wait, is that...?"

"Ooooh!" Neptune hummed in eagerness, swaying from side to side on the sofa while gluing her eyes to the screen. "Looks like we got ourselves Iffy's cameo, guys!"

"Way to go, Iffy!" Compa cheered, clapping for her friend. "I'm so proud of you!"

IF blushed and chuckled in embarrassment, scratching her cheek before they resumed watching.

* * *

 **Turning to the source, Nico was greeted by the sight of 2 Guild Agents standing before a young fair skinned girl. He couldn't get a good look at them because their backs were turned, but it was evident that these guys were harassing her, evident from their posture and the irritation rolling off the girl in waves. Nico groaned in disappointment as he saw this, "ugh, people like them give Guild Agents a bad name. I'll go in and see what's up, step in if necessary…" he muttered under his breath while walking to the commotion.**

 **"I said no already, assholes, I'm just doing my job!"**

 **"Whoa, this one is feisty! My favourite type of gal!"**

 **"C'mon, come with us, I'll be a blast. You'll enjoy it way more than your boring old job."**

 **Now he was sensing the urge to kill in the air, and it came from the girl. Her hands were twitching, and Nico could tell that she was seconds away from taking out whatever weapons she had on her at this moment in time and showing these idiots just what they were dealing with. Nico would have liked to see that those two now that he was close enough to get a good look were 2 of the 'troublesome' Agents that cause a ruckus with the female agents and adventurers. They're the kind of males that gave his gender a bad name, it made him feel like it was his duty to rein those idiots in and give them a much-needed reality check.**

* * *

Turning to her friend, Compa asked her with concern in her voice. "Do you get types like that in the office, Iffy?"

"Sometimes, though usually my reputation with all of the CPUs keeps them at bay these days."

* * *

 **"Hey, degenerates!" Nico's loud voice boomed, catching the attention of the two male agents and the girl. He didn't bother getting a description of her as his attention were on her harassers. Said men, whom wore all black getups, turned and glared at him like gangsters as they marched up to him, "huh? Who the hell are you, punk?" one of them sneered, their hands in their pockets. They were at least 6 feet, a little taller than him, but Nico wasn't intimidated, not in the slightest as he stared them dead in the eye.**

 **With a blank, emotionless voice, Nico spoke, "leave the girl alone, she doesn't have time to be babysitting a pair of frail apes like yourselves."**

* * *

"Ooooh! Get Nepped!"

Cue some laughs from the other girls at the preteen's antics.

* * *

 **His insult made both men angry as evident by their reddening faces, while the girl behind them just let out a small smirk. She was clearly amused by this, and that made him feel glad. Happy to help. Meanwhile, one of the men went to draw one of his weapons which happened to be a knife. "Wha?! What you say ya punk?! Say that again, I dare-!"**

 **Whatever gibberish he was going to say next was cut off when, faster than a bullet, both of Nico's arms shot froth and grabbed them by their faces, slamming them into each other with enough force to knock them unconscious. The two men fell to the flop like sacks of trash, pained groans escaping their lips while swirl markings replaced their eyes signalling that they were out cold.**

* * *

"Wow... that's one way to handle baddies..." Compa commented with a sweat drop.

IF smirked just like how her other had been, a pleased glint in her eye. "Definitely the most satisfying, even if he might get in trouble afterwards."

* * *

 **"Phew, that's over with…" Nico remarked, purging his gloved hands by wiping them on his open Trench Coat. Dealing with idiots like them wasn't always so simple, some of them were skilled Spec Ops agents who required effort to take down a peg, which went to show how there were always idiots everywhere. It's what made Nico so careful of who he associated with. 'Now to check on the girl…'**

 **As Nico faced the girl he had helped, the male waved a single hand while the other was put in one of his Trench Coat's pockets, "yo, you alright Mrs…" he began, before his eyes settled on the girl and he took in her appearance. Her skin was, as previously stated, fair in skin tone, with brown hair that reached her waist in length. Her hair had many bangs that covered her forehead, and there was a green leafy bow within it. Her eyes matched the colour of her leaf bow, and she wore a blue Trench Coat with brown fur on the trims of the sleeves, as well as along the bottom. There was a ring of phones around the waistline, each a different colour and make. Several areas had white highlights, just like her matching dark blue tank top and shorts. On her feet, she wore a pair of boots that matched her Trench Coat.**

 **"IF. And yeah, I'm fine. It's nice to meet you." She replied as the two shook hands. Casting a glance at the unconscious males, the girl, IF, spoke in a grateful tone, "thanks for the assist, but I could have taken them by myself." She told him. Nico nodded his head in agreement, his other hand going into his other pocket. "I know. By that KI I sensed before stepping in, I bet your pretty skilled." He remarked, before he recognised this girl before him. Her name, appearance and demeanor reminded him of a file he had once read, "IF, IF… could you by any chance be the 'Wind walker of Gamindustri?'"**

* * *

"Whoa, how'd he know of your little chuni nickname, Iffy?! Does he have psychic powers like that plane looking dude whose named after a group of people?!"

"Nep, shut up, it says he read my file, every Agent has one!"

"Oh, right, hehehe, my bad."

Histoire sighed, Neptune would have known this if she did her work, but nope...

* * *

 **At the mention of that title, IF nodded, practically beaming at being recognised, "yep, the one. I'm just a simple wind blowing through Gamindustri like a breeze." She replied, pride in her tone at her nickname. Nico smirked at this, he could tell she found her nickname to be a great source of accomplishment in, "heh, figured. I read a file a while back saying how you were on the top rankings for number of quests completed. Your record matches that of the Spec Ops, despite not being one." he complimented.**

 **His compliment, much to his confusion, had caused the brunette to flush slightly in embarrassment. The girl chuckled while rubbing the back of her head nervously, "hehehe, feels kinda cool knowing the word's going around." She commented, her eyes filled with a sheepish gleam in them. Then, her eyes blinked as her arm fell to the side, her mind registering what he had said completely which resulted in her jaw becoming slack. "Huh? Is there something wrong?" Nico questioned, a sudden concern filling him as he saw what had happened to the brunette. Did she have a sudden surge of illness that he wasn't aware of? Was she reminded about something traumatic that happened in her past or on a previous guild Quest maybe?**

 **The answer was revealed to be neither of those things when IF shot out of her stupor and looked at him like he was something she'd only seen for the first time, "hey your one of them aren't you? The infamous DEATHSTROKE, right?" she queried, a notable trait of curiosity in her words. The male found himself taken aback by this sudden change in demeanour, and it showed on his face. "Uh… yeah?"**

 **His answer served to send her into a state of shock as she stumbled back, as if in disbelief over something as she put her hand over her forehead. "Oh geez, just what I needed. I get harassed after a difficult quest and now I meet DEATHSTROKE? Seriously? I mean, sure you guys are tough and all, but um…" she stammered, soon losing the ability to form words as she lost herself in her own little world.**

 **Her eyes went into an expression of realisation as she quickly cleared her throat, regaining her composure with an embarrassed look on her face. "u-uh sorry ab-about that. Just had a hard day is all…" she stuttered, smirking embarrassingly. She could hear several Guild Agents chuckle quietly behind them, which only made her feel worse. She couldn't believe she had lost it like that, she should have been more composed than this. But what was worse was that she couldn't help it, this guy had caught her with her figurative pants down. She'd just finished a Quest that revolved slaying a ton of hard monsters and just now had to deal with several of the scum of the Guild. Why they still worked here was beyond her. Plus, with the things she had heard about this Spec Ops Agent, IF was inclined to feel a little embarrassed, although it didn't decrease her gratitude towards him for the moment.**

 **"No need, I get it…" he replied, and really, he did. After all, being a Spec Ops meant more than just taking difficult quests, they had to take those quests daily, more often than a regular agent. Plus, with the way things were going with the monsters and how they were getting increasingly bolder with their actions, it would only be a matter of time before the Guild Agents would be called in more often than their contracts tell them too. Worse is, that the Contracts they sign state that in such cases of emergency they were obliged to work overtime, without extra pay of course. "It doesn't help that those guys are used to having Fangirls #shudder# around them like they're some sort of gods. One I can think of as worse is FLASH."**

 **IF remembered that Spec Ops agent, and the fangirls he had all over the four nations. She had to repress a shiver as memories surfaced in her mind of when she had seen some of them in action. "Yeah, well most guys are idiots like that, but those fangirls don't exactly help matters any." Both shivered as horrible memories formed in their minds of their past experiences with the horror known as fangirls.**

 **Idly, Nico's instincts made him glance at the clock, and boy was he glad he did because the time told him he didn't have much time to spare if he wanted to get to his appointment. "Shoot!" the male frowned as he turned to head out, "I have to go, I got an appointment with an old friend of mine." He told her, rushing to the entrance to the Guild Hall. But just before he could reach for the handle, the male stopped, and looked down for a second.**

 **Turning to IF, the male gave her a small smile as he saluted with 2 fingers, "maybe we'll meet again someday, IF. I have a feeling you'll be going far in life, and I always trust my gut. Cheerio's for now!" he called out, before heading out to go meet his friend. He didn't wanna be late for his meeting with his friend, no sir not when he hadn't seen his friend for so long.**

 **Back with IF, the brunette blinked to herself, momentarily surprised by the sudden exit, "Man, that was a hasty exit…" she commented to herself, "though through that conversation, he didn't once let down his guard. He was always ready to react the first sign of danger. I guess that's understandable considering who he is, assassins must like to target him, along with… fangirls. Seriously, why do they always have to be the bane of everyone's existence?" the girl wondered to herself, an irritated growl coming out of her throat.**

 **IF didn't like how there were so many who would grovel at the feet of those who were popular, it looked so demeaning and insulative to both them and the fangirls themselves. She hoped that when her reputation as Gamindustri's wind walker finally caught on she wouldn't have to deal with that crap.**

 **"But maybe he's right, maybe we will meet again someday…" she mused, pondering that thought for a single, brief, moment before she dismissed those thoughts and walked away, intending to just continue her day.**

* * *

"Well..." Histoire remarked as the scene switched to Nico's point of view. "So far, it seems like a decent start, at least. A bit violent for my tastes, but we are in a world where young girls fight large monsters, so I cannot complain."

"I get a feeling of edginess from the name DEATHSTROKE..." Neptune hummed thoughtfully. "Hopefully he's not a broody mc duck face like that one in the popular shounen anime #a#u#o."

"I wonder what references are going to be made in this fanfic. References and memes are part of the course here, specially for this little midget Nep over here."

"Aw, Iffy you know me so well..."

"I'd be worried if you didn't, Nep-Nep..."

* * *

 **Nico travelled the streets of Planeptune, heading towards the outskirts which were also a residential are. His friend lived in that area last time he had checked, and according to his research Nico hadn't seen his friend move from that spot in the records. He doubted she would though even if there was a mass monster attack, considering how she had lived in that house since she was a little girl with her grandfather. Ever since her grandfather was put in a home, his friend had fought tooth and nail to remain here. She may be shy and timid, but she could be just as stubborn when she had something she wanted to do.**

 **Compared to deeper within the City of Planeptune, the outskirts were much more urban, a lacking shop that sold the more sought-after items meaning that those who live here must go into the city itself. The outskirts, in comparison, were more of a residential area, disturbing of the nature around them. Some people preferred this kind of lifestyle, and Nico knew that his friend would be the same. After all, she had lived this kind of life since she was little, plus it reminded her of her childhood memories with her grandfather.**

 **Walking down the dirt path, Nico glanced at the houses which had a more urban design than the futuristic buildings within Planeptune's centre. They retained the same colour scheme save for a select few, which were customised to fit the specifications of their tenants. His eyes shifted along each one till they landed on one house that sparked lots of memories in his mind.**

* * *

"Hang on... that looks like..."

"Oh yeah! I remember that street, isn't it the one you live in even now, Compa-poo?"

"You would know, Neptune, considering you use it to sneak over to avoid work."

"Grk! How did you figure out my ultimate escape plan?!"

"The normal ending."

* * *

 **It was a 2-story house, with light cream coloured walls, and a dark brown rooftop. The windows were a matching colour, with a nice garden filled with well-maintained flowers. There was a chimney on top that was releasing smoke, not too much like Lastation's factories did, and this smoke had a certain smell to it. The smell whiffed into his nostrils, and the male had to cringe to himself. The sudden urge to throw up rose in his chest, threatening to overwhelm his senses.**

 **'Ugh! Looks like someone's been cooking…' he thought to himself. Barely he fought the urge down, regaining his composure enough to mask the inner disgust that the smell of food brought him. It was a sad fact, but a 'condition'; he had made him unable to eat human food. He didn't remember how it had happened, but one day he woke up, and when he tried to get a sandwich the moment it touched his lips he felt like he was ingesting someone else's vomit.**

 **Fortunately, nobody knew about it, not even his closest friend whom he was visiting right now. He didn't have parents, though he did used to. His parents disappeared when he was young, and their will decreed that he be left with his friend's Grandfather since he was an old friend of theirs. The male had met the man's granddaughter when they were kids, and at first, she was too shy to get near him. But that all changed with a certain incident…**

* * *

"Okay, that's a little worrying..." Histoire commented, frowning when they saw Nico's reaction to the smell of food. If it was who she thought it was he was visiting, then it could cause great problems. Not to mention the fact that Nico couldn't eat human foods, she had no idea why that was. Her gut told her that she wouldn't like the answer, anyways.

Neptune's eyes suddenly widened in comical alarm. "Wait, does that mean he can't eat Pudding?! Can he never taste it's greatness?! Oh, how tragic! Even worse than romeo and Juliet!"

IF had similar thoughts to the blonde tome fairy. "Ouch, shouldn't the guy go visit the doctors or something? That kind of fits the category of needing to be checked out ASAP."

"Me too, Iffy, Nurse Compa should definitely take a lookie."

* * *

 **Before he could finish the thought, Nico found himself at the front door of the house. It was colored a brilliant maroon, well maintained as if it had been made only yesterday. It accompanied the sensation of homeliness and family that no other house could do much more. A small smile crossed onto his face, a sense of joy and happiness to finally be here once again outweighing the mounting disgust in his stomach. 'Ahhh, it feels like it never changed at all since I last saw it…' he thought to himself, a sigh of content being released from his lips.**

 **Slowly he reached for the handle at the top of the door, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. He hadn't seen his friend in a long time, and was wondering what had changed for her. He hoped that she hadn't changed too much, Nico had always liked his friend for how cheerful and kind she had been when she was a kid. Although, he didn't miss the times she would try to give him his… #shudder# shots. It wasn't he shots themselves that scared him but the syringe that she used. I was both her medical appliance and her tool for fighting, fortunately she kept it well cleaned throughout her time using it otherwise she wouldn't have been so well-off as she had hoped to be.**

 **Once he had gathered his courage, Nico muttered to himself, "be a man, Nico, be a man. Your DEATHSTROKE, its below you to be afraid to see the friend that you haven't seen in 4 years. You can do this…" he told himself, but still the nervousness didn't go away. He guessed that was to be expected honestly, considering how long it had been since they had seen each other. While he had kept in contact with her, boy would he ever drop the contact he had with her, Nico never directly saw her for those 4 years.**

 **Finally, Nico grasped the handle and rattled it for a few seconds. He knew that SHE was home, considering the disgusting aroma that normal people would find delicious, so he wasn't worried about not seeing her. Shortly after, a bright smile formed on his face when he remembered a high pitched, yet still girly tone from a voice that had yelled out "coming!" before footsteps were heard.**

 **'this is it boy, time to meet your childhood friend…'**

 **The door's knob turned from the other side as the door itself opened. When he saw, who was on the other side, his breath was literally stolen away from him. There, standing in front of him was a fair skinned girl with cream coloured hair and eyes, a black headband with a C logo on top of her head holding back her hair from getting into her face. She wore a woolly sweater with detached sleeves that were rolled backwards at the wrists, exposing her shoulders to the world. She wore a red checkered skirt around her waist with a hip purse that had the same logo as her headband, black stockings with a pink love heart trim and woolly low-heeled boots that matched her sweater in colour.**

* * *

"There's me!" Compa proclaimed happily, beaming as she pointed towards the screen.

"Looks like Compa's got the childhood friend trope on her..." Neptune mused.

"Seems like it, maybe we can learn more abut their relationship as the story goes on, there's a lot of ground to cover after all." IF commented, getting nods of agreement from the girls.

* * *

 **'holy shit, she looks fucking gorgeous!' Nico thought to himself in awe. The girl took one look at him and gave a gasp, holding her hand over her mouth in her shock. There was a short silence between them, one that Nico found awkward, especially with how the girl was. "u-uh… he-hey Compa, it's me, Nico. How are you doing?" he asked with an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.**

 **His comment seemed to snap the girl he called Compa out of her funk, as her body language suggested, before her eyes began to glisten. "N-Ni-Ni… is that you?" she stuttered with shock and disbelief. She looked like she wasn't even believing that he was here, which Nico sort of understood but it did hurt a little inside. At least she remembered his old nickname she had given him when they were kids. 'Though how she came up with that name I'll never know. Compa wasn't ever good with names that had more than a few syllables, especially names. Though this has been a debate between me and her grandfather…' he thought to himself.**

 **"NI-NI!"**

* * *

Neptune immediately bust a gut laughing when she heard the nickname Compa gave him. "Hahahahahaha, C-C-Compa, looks like you and your other g-g-g-gave him the same n-n-n-n-nickname! Ahahahahaha!"

Compa looked down with a tinge of pink on her cheeks. "Mou, Nep-Nep's being a meanie..." she mumbled, before she pulled out her syringe with a determined look in her eyes. "I'll have to poke her with my syringe to calm her down!"

"Nepu?! whoa, whoa, whoa Compa, cool your jets! No need to go all psycho!"

* * *

 **Nico almost fell onto his back when the full weight of Compa's body fell onto him when she rammed him. Her arms flew around his back as she pressed her face into the base of his neck, squealing happily while repeatedly jumping up and down girlishly. His arms had instinctively wrapped around her back, one going to the back of her neck while the other was firmly attached to her waist. Fortunately for Nico he was strong enough to remain stable and not fall over. "It's you, you're really here! I thought you would no-show like a mean guy would breaking a poor maiden's heart!" she said through her squeals.**

 **Hearing this, the male sweat dropped as he looked down at the girl in his arms. "you've been watching too many romantic dramas haven't you…?" he remarked with an unamused expression on his face, only to be rewarded with no response as the girl squealed some more. When she had calmed down which took a few seconds, Nico smiled warmly at her, a smile that he reserved only for those he was truly close to. "It's good to see you again, though Compa."**

 **Looking up at him, Compa's face practically beamed as bright as the sun. it was almost blinding how much happiness she was radiating right now, he almost had to look away as if he were being blinded by her happiness, "yes, it's so good to see you too, Ni-Ni!" she replied cheerily. Then, her face became stern as her grip on him tightened, and for a girl of her size she was damn strong, Nico noticed. "Your late, mister!" she pointed out to him. Bringing one of her arms back around, she poked him in the chest with a finger, "it's important to keep on top of your appointments! That's what I learned first thing when I entered nursing school!"**

 **'yeah, sorta figure, though things rarely go to plan…' Nico thought as he winced, remembering several times some of his Quests turned sour. Compa merely mistook it for something else though, so she didn't catch on. Quickly changing his expression so she wouldn't wise up, Nico chuckled nervously as he patted the back of his head, "yeah well, I would have gotten here sooner if I didn't have to do some things." He told her, remembering IF and how he had helped her out with those punks.**

 **"What kind of things?" now curious, Compa tilted her head while asking that question with such a face that made it hard for Nico to resist her. She always had that 'Moe' factor down pat ever since she was a little girl. Hell, that was how she was able to get away with taking one extra cookie from her grandfather's cookie jar, her puppy dog eyes and pleading expressions mixed together was something that could cause 'death by cuteness'.**

* * *

"Pretty sure that applies to anyone who Compa tries the puppy dog eyes on." Neptune commented.

"Hey Nep-Nep?"

"Huh? Oh no, wait, no-no-no-no!"

#PUPPY DOG EYES# "could you let me pet you?"

"#ROBOTIC SLAVE VOICE# Your wish is my command!"

* * *

 **Barely though, Nico managed to regain control of his vocal faculties as he went to formulate a response, soon though he noticed that it was getting a little chilly. Not enough to warrant a shiver, but enough to allow his sensitive senses to notice it. He decided to use that in his response, "things that held me up, ya know like getting lost on the road of life, helping old women across the street…" alright now he could see the pouty face Compa was having, so Nico quickly salvaged what remained of his confidence, and spoke "so um, it's getting kinda chilly so can I come in?"**

 **His question took a few seconds to register in Compa's mind, her brain working overtime to process what he was asking. When it was done, she quickly nodded with her cheery attitude returning to her face, "sure, come on in! I was just finishing off dinner, it's your childhood favourite: baked potatoes with veggies and gravy." She told him while turning on her heels and walking back inside the house. If she had remained a second longer she would have seen his grimace at the thought of his old time favourite meal. 'If I didn't have my condition, then that would have made my heart soar with joy…' he thought to himself with a bitter smile. Shaking his head to clear it of those thoughts, Nico went inside, closing the door behind him.**

* * *

"Oh... from what he just says, this condition wasn't something he had from birth then..." Histoire commented with a hand on her chin. Her eyes glimmered as thoughts and theories danced about in her mind.

Looking at her and noticing the state she was in, IF merely sighed with an index finger and thumb over her forehead. "Ugh, she'll be like that for a while..."

* * *

 **After entering, taking off his shoes and coat before hanging them on the rack beside the door, Nico and Compa were eating at the table in her Kitchen. Well, only Compa was eating while Nico himself struggled to keep himself from throwing up at how disgusting the food tasted to him. 'If I was normal than I'd have to admit that Compa was a wiz at cooking now. It only makes sense considering that she lives alone now… okay, that's slightly sadder than I intended, so I'll stop there.' He thought to himself.**

 **Looking to Compa. Nico saw how happy his childhood friend was, and couldn't help but smile as well. In his mind, Nico felt glad that he could bring some measure of happiness to Compa's life tonight. Throughout the last 4 years the only time they had heard each other's voice was through phone calls, which wasn't as good as live conversation. They may have texted each other a lot to make up for the times where he couldn't call because of a Quest, but the best type of conversation was face-to-face.**

 **On the off chance, Compa looked up and noticed that he was smiling at her. She sheepishly smiled back, 'Ni-Ni always has a nice smile…' she thought while starting a conversation, "something on your mind, Ni-Ni?" she asked him, taking a piece of a chopped potato from her plate with her fork and sending it into her mouth. Compa chewed several times and then swallowed the food, marvelling at how good it tasted. Food tasted better with good company in her opinion, and nothing beat eating with cherished friends especially ones she hadn't seen for a long time.**

 **The male blinked when he registered his friend's question, before regaining his mental focus as he replied, "u-ugh, yes, well um, it's good to see you again, Compa. Work's been a real chore these last few weeks." He remarked with a frown.**

 **Compa's face became troubled as she looked down at her food, remembering the recent crisis that was threatening Gamindustri not just Planeptune. "You mean the increased monster attacks, right? Because of them, school had to be closed down because the students kept getting taken during monster raids and eaten." She asked him, memories surfacing in her mind.**

 **It was a source of concern for everyone, the recent rise in Monster activity. Gamindustri always had monsters, ever since the world first started, which was a time that nobody remembered due to it being trillions of years ago. However, it was only recently, as in the last few years, that Monster activity spiked drastically and they began to adopt a dangerously aggressive behaviour. They now attacked trade routes, convoys, minor settlements even the major city of Planeptune was sometimes targeted by the more dangerous of monsters. Because of the danger they posed, many things had to change to ensure public safety like the closing of schools and the promotion of indoor entertainment so kids didn't leave their houses to visit their friends, only to get munched on by a visiting monster.**

* * *

Compa frowned at this information. "That's not like our Gamindustri, we only got monsters 3 years before rebirth 1 came out." she commented.

"Huh, now this is getting interesting..." IF added on, her interest piqued. She wanted to see more of this, usually people didn't do much to change the plot for the games till the end, but already things were getting different from canon.

* * *

 **The same events flashed through Nico's mind too, prompting him to clench his fists and grit his teeth in frustration and anger, "yeah, that about sums it up. The Guild's running the Spec-Ops Agents ragged with dangerous quests, at least B Rank and above Quests, sometimes we must hunt monsters which SERIOUSLY deviate from the norms. Some of them Compa give even the strongest of us nightmares." He explained, sending Compa into stunned silence as he remembered fighting such monsters. Even now just thinking of them sent chills down his spine.**

 **"I see…" the cream haired girl mused, taking a cup of tea, she had poured and bringing it to her lips. "That's why you stopped calling and messaging me for 2 weeks. I was worried you had forgotten about me…" she muttered before sipping her tea with an expression of relief, worry and dejection all mixed into one heart wrenching package.**

 **Hearing that Compa had thought that sent Nico's mind into overdrive, as he slammed his hands down onto the table with a furious expression on his face, "don't ever think that!" he yelled, shocking the girl as she let out an "eek!" in surprise, almost jumping out of her seat. "I would NEVER forget about you Compa, your one of the few good damn things I have, I could never do that to you, ever!"**

 **After saying his piece, Nico was reduced to some heavy breathing, his body slightly fatigued from all that shouting. He didn't know why he had snapped like that, but it didn't change the fact that he was insulted that she would even think that he would forget about her. Though, Nico guessed he couldn't blame her, after all she didn't know just how much seeing her face, reading her texts, even hearing her voice brought a smile to his face every time he was out in the field. She was one of the few reasons why he fought as a Guild member at all.**

 **Then, he came to the realisation that he had just yelled at his childhood friend, and his eyes became horror-struck as he quickly bent low into a bow, "I'm s-sorry, Compa, forgive me for yelling at you like that!" he stuttered in a panic. He didn't want one of the few reasons he fights hating him over something he had done by accident. It would have destroyed him otherwise.**

 **Fortunately, Compa didn't seem to take offense to his actions, as she just waved her hands in a placating manner, "I-it's okay, really Ni-Ni. I shouldn't have doubted you for a moment. In any case, it's actually relieving that you yelled like that." She told him. This made Nico look up at her in curiosity, what did she mean by him yelling at her was relieving?**

 **It seemed that she knew what he was wanting to ask, because she continued, "I mean, ever since we were kids you were always passionate in what you did, what you believed in. you protected me from bullies when they'd make fun of me for my timidness…" she looked down, blushing at the memories in her mind. "So, its relieving to see that you're still the same as you were back then."**

* * *

"So, he's the childhood friend who helped protect Compa from bullies, huh?" Neptune noted, taking out a notepad and pen before writing the stuff down. Where she got the items were anyone's guess.

IF noticed that she also had a dark brown detective hat and coat on, too.

"Uh, Nep? Where did you get that stuff?

"plot!"

* * *

 **Hearing her compliments caused a tinge of pink to form on Nico's cheeks, as he quickly turned his head to the side to avoid looking at the beaming Compa. 'goddamnit, that smile, that innocence! She's so bright, Compa's too bright!' he screamed in his mind, embarrassment flooding through his system like a flood. But what made it even worse was that her statements rang true, when they had met Compa had always been a shy, timid little girl who was scared to open her heart to others. At first, she wouldn't go near him when their parents were together, and he couldn't figure out why.**

 **But then, when he discovered one day how she was always picked on because of her timid nature, that was when he flipped his lid. Nico had put a stop to those bullies, and kept doing so throughout their time together, always being there for Compa either as a shoulder to lean on for comfort, or to help her when she needed it. He supported her like a good friend would, though remembering it now made him feel so embarrassed, like any typical boy would. Though, Compa remained oblivious to his thoughts and dramatic reaction.**

* * *

 **When Dinner was finally over, Nico excused himself from the table and left the kitchen. Once he was out of Compa's sight however, his movements made a complete 180, Nico quickly rushing up the stairs with a hand over his mouth, careful not to make a sound as to worry Compa, and went to the bathroom. Once there, like an animal in a panic, Nico swiftly dashed towards the toilet which was located on the opposite wall when one came into the bathroom, and fell onto its thankfully raised lid. The urge no longer could be contained, and as a result, Nico threw up the food she had cooked for him. it came out of him like a flood, making splattering sounds as it impacted the water and would likely leave a sickly smell when it was over. Though, Nico would make sure to clean up after himself so nobody would notice. It didn't take long, but it was a rather discomforting process that left him completely drained afterwards.**

 **'Ugh, gross! I'm glad I held it in there, who knows what would have happened if I couldn't keep it together…' Nico thought, heaving heavily while his hands gripped the sides of the toilet. His eyes were wide, with his pupils shrunken to the size of dots as he struggled to recover from that nasty experience. Eventually, he weakly raised his arm to flush the toilet, not being able to stomach the sight of the vomit anymore.**

 **Once it was gone, Nico slowly shifted till he was sitting on the ground with his back touching the tip of the Toilet, his breathing was ragged, coming in and out through drawn out gasps of air that his lungs clawed desperately for. the residue feeling of vomit burned at the back of his throat, yet he didn't feel like getting up from his position to get a drink of water to relieve the feeling. Honestly, with the things he'd seen and done, Nico felt that this feeling was oddly fitting for someone like him.**

 **His head was looking down with his hair shadowing his eyes. Slowly, his breathing became even as he endured the feeling at the back of his throat. Nico then saw a brief image of Compa's happy, smiling face on the ground, before it vanished, a hallucination, he realised, making an empty chuckle escape his lips.**

 **'it's okay… Compa… you don't need to know… THIS side of me… and I hope… you never do.'**

* * *

"That's the end of the chapter..." IF remarked as they paused the projector before sitting down again. "Well guys, what do you think so far? Looks like an interesting start to me." she asked the others. "I'm quite interested in these Spec Ops Agents."

Compa hummed thoughtfully, her eyes a mix of concern and sadness. "I wanna know why Ni-Ni can't eat human foods like the rest of us..." she whispered, before gasping in alarm. "Wait! If he can't eat human food, and he's keeping that a big hush-hush, then do you think he'll be forced to eat human foods in front of us?!"

Histoire nodded in sadness, confirming her fears. "Yes, that does appear to be the case..." she replied.

Her response to that: "Next chappy!"


	3. Chapter 3 - Reading Chapter 2

On Compa's request (more like DEMAND) The girls switched to the next chapter.

Honestly, Histoire couldn't help but be surprised at how engaging this Story was getting, especially if it sucked in someone like Neptune who couldn't read too much to save her own goddess darn life.

Then, there was how Compa was reacting to the MC's condition, how worried and concerned she was about him. She herself could only hope he get's that problem solved.

"Say... wasn't that vomiting scene back in the last chapter a pretty extreme reaction." IF questioned, scowling as she recalled what Nico had to do at the previous Chapter's end. To say she got grossed out at the sight was an understatement, she even had to look away to escape it, yet the sounds of suffering she heard painted an even darker picture.

Neptune nodded, her lips pursed. "Yeah, that kinda was a little OTT,..." she began, only to whine seconds later. "But what's worse is that he cannot even eat the gloriousness that is Pudding! How cruel fate thou art!

"Hey, new chapter, less mouths moving!" Compa yelled at the others, stunning them while Neptune went 'Yikes!' as the Chapter loaded.

 **Chapter 2 - Falling from the Sky, yo!**

 **After his little 'episode' in the bathroom, Nico made sure to clean himself up so that none of the vomit that lingered on his mouth was visible. He made sure to take a few breath mints as well, wiping down his face, neck and the tops of his clothes. This one was worse than normal, considering how much human food he had stored inside of him, but it wasn't anything that Nico couldn't handle. He couldn't let anyone figure out his secret, at least nobody that he couldn't trust. Compa especially couldn't know this, because she would ask questions that he didn't have the answers to. It hurt, having to keep this a secret from her, but it was necessary.**

 **For this secrets depth demanded the utmost discretion.**

* * *

"Lemme know, Ni-Ni!" Compa urged with distress. "You can trust the childhood friend with your owwies!"

"Uhhhh, me is thinking about that Bondage stuff again, Compa... alright, alright, no need to draw the med kit of doom again!"

* * *

 **Soon he returned downstairs where Compa was washing the dishes. He smiled at her as he approached from the entrance, "hey there, need any help with that?" he offered, gesturing to the dishes beside her. It didn't look too big, the pile anyways, but she did cook the meal herself, so it was common curtesy to offer to help with the dishes.**

 **Compa turned to look at him, smiling before shaking her head, "no need, I can do this by myself. It's kinda fun actually, gives me time to clear my head after a stressful day." She told him while cleaning the plate she had used with a cloth that was white with a pink boarder and had a love heart pattern a lot like her stockings.**

 **At that, Nico could relate. He too found it relaxing to do menial chores like dishes or vacuuming to clear his head. Shame he never got around to them often considering his profession. It usually involved him facing tough opponents on the front lines, leaving little time for him to wind down. Fortunately, he had the option of hunting in some of the weaker Dungeons to vent whatever stress he had, or things REALLY would have gotten ugly.**

 **Seeing that there was no changing the girl's mind, Nico relented to her will. It was her house after all, so it was her rules. As the saying goes, 'when in Lowee, do as the Loweans do.' He wondered if that was a reference to something, but dismissed it with a nonchalant shrug. "alright then. Is there anything you would like for me to do? It wouldn't feel right if I just lazed about while you do all the work." He asked her.**

* * *

"Hmmm, he has manners. Unlike a certain someone I know around here who lazes about and leaves snacks everywhere..."

"Um, Histy... why you looking at me when you say that?"

"...-_-"

"Hey, no need to just answer with emoticons, yet! That's way into the future of the game!

* * *

 **Pausing her current activity, Compa looked up while placing a finger on her chin, becoming immersed in thought. "hmmmm… well, most chores have already been taken care of, and it's getting pretty late, so… oh! I know!" an idea sparked in her mind. If he was crazy, Nico would have sworn that he had seen a light bulb switch on above her head. Turning her head to face him again, Compa showed him her excited face, which consisted of her being starry-eyed while grinning widely. "Stargazing! We can stargaze like we did when we were kids!"**

 **As he heard those words, Nico's eyes widened when he remembered those times. 'Oh yeah!' he thought, fisting his open palm like he had just realised something major. 'We used to gaze at the stars a lot when we were little after a particularly stressful day of school, bullies and nagging parents…' he chuckled mentally at the address he had used there. That was how many kids viewed their parents whenever they tried to tell them what to do. "Sure, I guess that's good. Where should we star gaze? On the roof?" he asked her.**

 **The cream haired girl nodded quickly. "Hmmm! That'd be perfect, Ni-Ni! The roof is the best place to star gaze, and it just so happens to be a clear night tonight. It's the perfect scenario for some star gazing!" she proclaimed. With that confirmed between them, Compa suddenly turned back to the dishes and began washing them with a new intensity that wasn't there before. Nico swore that there were flames dancing in her eyes as she did them. 'Whoa! Girl must REALLY want to gaze at the stars if THIS is what hypes her up!' the male thought.**

* * *

 **Once the dishes were done, the two retreated to Compa's bedroom, one of the places where they could get up onto the rooftop the quickest. The two teens didn't mind that they had just entered a girl's room since they had known each other for years now, so they were quite familiar with each other and trusted each other well enough with this lack of space between them. Nico had vaulted onto the rooftop from the window first, then helped Compa up onto it.**

 **The two sat side by side, gazing upwards at the many twinkling stars in the night sky. They could also see the full moon as well, something one doesn't see every day in Gamindustri. "Ahhhh, they look so pretty…" Compa said with joy in her eyes. They were literally sparkling with awe at the beauty that the stars possessed.**

 **Nico agreed with his childhood friend, the stars were beautiful tonight. They had done this together many times when they were children, but no matter how many times they did, it always had a certain kind of magic that Skills and spells used by Guild Agents, adventurers and the Lowee citizens, who specialise in that field, lack. Nico always found himself in awe of how big the world was, not just Gamindustri, but all the worlds out there. He knew that they couldn't be the only race in the world, it just didn't make sense otherwise. After all, the universe was said to be ever expanding, right? So that meant they had to be other races out there, perhaps even alternate dimensions.**

 **Something came over him that moment, but left again at the next second, which confused him.**

 **'Why do I feel like I'll be getting an up close and personal experience with something? Oh well.' The male thought before dismissing it. Perhaps it would be one of those things that the Author uses to refer to future stories that he may make in the future…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **Wait, what?**

* * *

"Another Meta Joke for the win!" Neptune grinned, before she procured a checkboard (from where was anyone's guess) and put a line under 'Meta Jokes'

"That poor fourth wall..." Histoire lamented, sighing. "With this young man and Neptune... it's going to be battered."

"Oh, you Nepping know!"

"Nep, stop trying to sound like an American... wait, who were the Americans again?"

* * *

 **Before he could think on that, Compa started a conversation again. "Hey, Ni-Ni?" she began, turning towards him with a look in her eye. Nico looked back at her, becoming confused at the way she was staring at him.**

 **"What is it, Compa?"**

 **"It's been a long time since we first met, and I know I asked you already, but you never answered me… why don't you give me any cute nickname?"**

 **Now THAT was a question that Nico never expected to hear from that girl's mouth. His eyes widened in surprise when she asked it, and the male looked towards her with a gobsmacked expression on his face. "Wh-why do you ask this so suddenly? I mean, it's not like we need to refer to each other by cute nicknames, your name's only 2 syllables same as mine." He replied, embarrassment filling his voice at the thought of giving Compa a nickname like she did him.**

 **"W-well…" looking down, the girl timidly poked her index fingers together, refusing to look up at him. "I call you Ni-Ni, but I always wanted to be referred to as a cute nickname, but you never do. I was just curious as to why?" she elaborated. It was true, no matter how many people she met and was nice to, nobody gave her a cute nickname. She hoped that would change one day, and couldn't wait till it came.**

 **Normally, a guy in this situation would say something randomly to get this embarrassing subject dropped and move on regardless of how the female takes it, but Nico could see that this was very important to his childhood friend. He was surely embarrassed at the question, but his desire to see Compa smile was more powerful. "Hmmm… I guess it's because it's hard to think of one with your name… I mean, Compa is so easy to pronounce that it's essentially a nickname alone. I could go with Com or Compy, but they seem lazy to me." He explained, his thumb scratching the side of his jaw while he refused to look at her gaze.**

 **"Muuuu! I wanna have a cute nickname…"**

 **Turning his head back to her when she said that, Nico was greeted to the sight of a Compa with slumped shoulders, her head hanging low with a depressed aura around her. Now THIS made him feel even sicker to his stomach than eating human food, seeing how sad his childhood friend was. It infuriated him that the world can make such a sweet girl feel sad about herself like that.**

 **'Well, not if I have something to say about it!'**

 **"Compa, look at me." He spoke sternly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. This was something Nico couldn't allow to continue for a second, not just because she was someone important to him, not just because this was their first face-to-face meeting in 4 years, but also because he hated seeing girls sad like this. Nico may have lost his parents potentially, but they did install something in him that most guys in Gamindustri today lack: respect for the female gender. Perhaps it was also because of her grandfather being a good man who respected women and treated them fairly, due to being from an era much different than their own, but Nico always felt that he had to treat women with the utmost care and respect, especially those who were insecure about themselves. It grinded his gears to think that girls who could be super beautiful have such shyness about their appearances. And then there were those who feel they have no way out and…**

* * *

"Uuuu!" Neptune grimaced, clutching her stomach as she rolled around on the floor. "The cringe is real there..."

Compa glared at Neptune with puffy cheeks. "Well I think it's sweet that he cares..." she mumbled under her breath.

IF rolled her eyes, knowing how the young Nurse got. "May be cringy, but if more guys were like that then maybe we might have more masculine adventurers running about." she commented.

* * *

 **It was obvious that Compa was startled by his sudden action, judging by the "eh?!" and the rapidly blinking eyelashes he saw. When she looked up at him, her eyes were full of shock and confusion. She had been so depressed that his actions had completely thrown her off guard, "N-Ni-Ni?" she stuttered as a red-hot blush formed on her cheeks. 'wh-wha?! What is-I can feel his chest with my hands…!' she thought as her hands had landed on his chest area. Nico, while not a massive body builder, had a solid build of his own honed through a history of combat. It was enough to make any girl find him attractive enough to do… lewd things to.**

 **"Nicknames may be something of importance, but there's something even more so." Nico told her, not caring for her question before. She needed to hear this and she needed it now, at least in his mind anyways. Nico hoped that he wasn't being too arrogant like some of the assholes he knew were in the Guild. "The memories you make with friends can be the most important thing of all, when it comes to making bonds. Nicknames can be important, but memories are more so. Even if you don't get a nickname, at least you'll be able to remember the faces of those you're close to."**

 **At the end of Nico's speech, Compa's eyes widened with shock and disbelief… until seconds later when she began feeling touched that he would say such sweet things to cheer her up. The cream haired girl's eyes glistened for a moment as they filled with tears, tears that made Nico fear that he had said something wrong. He just meant to cheer her up, no make her feel worse!**

 **Luckily for him that was not the case as Compa quickly embraced him with her face dug deep into his chest. "You know exactly what to say to cheer me up, Ni-Ni, just like when we were kids…" she muttered. Nico's senses picked up the smell of something wet, and he quickly realised that they were in fact, tears. The male's arms wrapped around her, gently hugging her back with one hand on her back, gently drawing circles on it while the other was on the back of her head. "I try…"**

 **"and you succeed…"**

 **The two just stayed like that, loving the tender moment that they were having together. Nico mentally congratulated himself on cheering his friend up, it felt like a huge weight off his shoulders now that he had done his task right. Meanwhile, Compa had felt warmth sprinting like an Nelympic runner through her body at the kindness that her friend showed her. She was lucky to have met such a nice boy when she was little, as most boys tended to be mean and pick on her because of her timid personality. And even now, amongst all the perverts that roamed Gamindustri, Nico had not once fell to their level which earned him more points with the female population. Though he likely didn't realise it considering how oblivious he was. 'The best ones always turn out to be the densest…' Compa recited her grandfather's words in her mind, knowing now that they held a lot of truth.**

* * *

"Well, at least he's trying. He does have manners unlike someone I know."

"Heeeey, no dissing me, disty."

"Disty?!"

"Yup!"

"Grrrr, come here, Neptune!"

"Histoire, not now! Wait till the end of the chapter!"

* * *

 **After a short while, they pulled apart, Compa wiping her eyes to get rid of her tears while Nico watched with a small smile. When she was done, the girl looked up at him with an amazing smile. "Thank you for that Ni-Ni." She thanked him, sure she was done with her tears this time. "I'm so lucky to have a friend like you."**

 **The male shook his head in denial of this claim. "Nah, not really." He replied, chuckling as he looked back up at the skies, the star's allure starting to tug at his mind as he finished his response to the cream haired girl. "It's just that your such an amazing girl, so amazing in fact that anyone who doesn't like you is as bad as all the murderers and rapists out there." He stated firmly, and he believed that with every fibre of his being. He'd punch anyone who'd talk smack about her for those reasons alone, not just because she was his friend.**

 **"Ni-Ni…" Compa muttered with a beaming smile. She had been giving those a lot recently, she realised, and she didn't mind one bit. Just as she was about to comment again, something caught her attention. "Hm? What's that?" she muttered, catching Nico's attention.**

* * *

"Looks like you're up, Nep." IF commented, crossing one leg over the other. "Looks like a bigger retelling of the Nep retrieval from comet scenario at the beginning of the game."

"Looks like." Histoire complied, nodding in agreement with the brunette.

* * *

 **He repeated his friend's question. "Huh? What's what Compa?" while tilting his head curiously. That was when his right Bracer began making a beeping noise, drawing his attention to it, alongside that of his childhood friend. "Now my Bracer's acting funny. Let's see…" he quickly began pressing a few keys on the Bracer, which soon displayed a holographic map above its screen for him to view. The map displayed Planeptune at first, until He began zooming in with his index finger and thumb.**

 **Compa watched with baited breath. "Wowee… that's some neat gear you've got, Ni-Ni." She complimented with awe. She really shouldn't be so surprised, considering his position in the guild. Nico was bound to get access to some top-grade technology. She knew of his codename DEATHSTROKE, one of their best Spec-Ops Agents to date, but still amazement filled her as she watched him get to work on whatever was triggering his Bracer.**

 **Nico smirked at this as he adjusted the Map till the blue hologram displayed a specific Dungeon, one of the weaker ones called 'Virtua Forest', where there was a red dot deep inside with several red waves emitting from its centre. The male frowned at this, concern written over his features. "Hmmm, judging by what my Bracer is telling me there's a strange energy signature coming from Virtua forest. I can't pinpoint its exact signature, but I can get its exact co-ordinates." He explained to his friend.**

* * *

"Huh... so those Bracers aren't for show, then..." IF muttered under her breath, she'd been honestly curious about those since she first saw them. Judging by the slight scratches and scars she saw on them, she figured that they had been used quite a lot. Considering what she was seeing, IF felt inclined to believe she'd been right. "Looks like they display 3D Holograms of large areas, and can zoom in on specific places while identifying what's inside with a colour system..." she whispered, her eyes analytical as she gauged the Bracers and the possible applications for them.

"Nevermind that, the Nep appearance is a comin'!" Neptune cheered, getting a growl from the brunette.

"... Would you like to join me later, IF?"

"Sure, Histoire."

* * *

 **"I see… then we should go investigate." Compa stated firmly, much to his surprise. Did he just hear that correctly? Did she just say she wanted to go with him? Nico wasn't sure that was a good idea this Dungeon may be weak compared to the ones he usually fought in, but monsters weren't as easy as one might think. Plus, there was one monster out there that he did NOT want to go anywhere near Compa, not even the most dangerous ones.**

 **But when he saw his friend's face, he knew there was no stopping her. When Compa had, her mind set on something then she would do it no matter what the obstacle is. With a reluctant sigh, Nico relented towards her demands. "Alright, but you do have a weapon on you, right?" he asked her, only for the male to go bug eyed, eyes becoming completely white, when he saw Compa pull out from her Inventory, a trait most Gamindustrimen and women possessed for some reason, a huge syringe that could be held in 2 hands. 'Oh gods, that's terrifying…'**

* * *

"Um, what's so scary about my Syringe? Guys? Why are you looking away from me and not answering me? Muuu! I'm one confused Compa right now!"

* * *

 **"Yessie! I'm always ready to help those in need! Now let's go see what's up!"**

 **With that, Compa went back inside, finding it much easier than getting outside, before heading for the door. Nico took a moment to regain himself, before he quickly deactivated the Bracer's map display and vaulted inside to follow her.**

* * *

 **Later, the two had walked outside the City and headed towards the Dungeon known as Virtua Forest. Nico constantly checked his Bracer's Holomap of Planeptune to see if there were any signs of monsters in their vicinity. Sometimes they would attack party members in the form of Random Encounters and in most cases, they were underprepared leading to either heavy injuries or death. That wasn't going to happen to him, not on his watch, and even more important Compa was here to, which lead to him being extra vigilant.**

 **Fortunately, no monsters came to them this time.**

 **When they were at the entrance to Virtua forest, Nico and Compa wondered which way they should go. This Dungeon was, despite being full of weaker monsters, quite large and thus had multiple routes. This was usually the case for a lot of forest Dungeons, plus some Cave ones and Mountain ones.**

 **"Hmmmm… looks like if we take THIS path." Nico began, pointing at an entrance to the Dungeon on the Holomap and then the same entrance to their right. The entrance looked like a large country path with a metal futuristic gate that monitored the number of people who entered and left the Dungeon. How the workers had constructed these gates without attracting the monster's attention he would never know. "Then we'll be able to swiftly get to the source of the energy signature."**

 **Compa nodded in acknowledgement at this as she proceeded to walk into the Dungeon entrance, Syringe in hand. "Alrightie lets go, Ni-Ni. We got a mystery on our hands." She said, turning around and waving him to come over. 'Is she making a reference to something like a kid show? Whatever…' Nico thought to himself before heading on over, walking deeper into the Dungeon with Compa at his side.**

* * *

 **For some reason, Nico and Compa didn't get attacked by any monsters. Hell, none of them were even around right now, but the male looked up at the night sky and assumed that they were sleeping or something. Even monsters need to sleep, he should know, Nico had hunted some of the more dangerous monsters and killed them while they slept. Compa though, remained curious and didn't realise the reason for it.**

 **Because of the lack of 'distractions' both teens made it to where the source of the signature was. It was a large crater which had replaced a large arisen dirt platform, much to their disbelief. "Damn, wonder how much it could cost to fill in a hole that size…" Nico muttered with dismayed eyes, not noticing how Compa blushed at the partial innuendo he had unknowingly said.**

 **But then, they saw what lay within… and both sweat dropped. 'You've gotta be kidding me…'**

 **If there was a time where someone would say that something like this would happen when he would reunite with his childhood friend, Nico would have called them a crazy psychopath and decapitated them. But seeing it in front of his very eyes made him rethink this. In the middle of the crater, there was something sticking out of it in a slight diagonal angle like a spear, or a certain sword that made a King of a country. From the looks of it though, it wasn't a weapon at all, no it was …**

 **A person.**

* * *

"Aw come on, i'm not that bad! Lemme have a better intro than this!" Neptune whined as she rolled off the sofa and onto the floor. "Oof!"

"Nep-Nep, you really ought to be more careful..."

"But Compaaaaaa! Those meanie CPUs ganged up on poor littl' old me! I call cheats! Hax!"

* * *

 **'Okay, this is GOT to be one of the weirdest things of my life. Weirder than that time where that one monster lost the lower half of its body revealing white shorts with poker dots and short skinny legs.' Nico thought while sliding down the side of the crater and then jogging over to the person. Compa soon followed suit with a worried expression on her face, how typical of her. Considering her scary Syringe Nico was aware that she was a Nurse in Training, so it wasn't a surprise to see her worried for a stranger's wellbeing.**

 **"Oh no, that person can't breathe! Help me, Ni-Ni! She'll die of suffocation if we don't do something!"**

 **Compa quickly rushed on over with an urgency in her steps, finding herself at the back of the person, she grasped both legs and began to tug, but the person, apparently, it was a girl, was lodged tightly into the ground. To the point where Compa was having difficulty pulling her out.**

 **Nico jogged over and placed his hands on her ankles, making note that the person was a skinny petite little thing as they both managed to successfully pull her out the ground, falling flat on their asses in the process. 'Gah! Ouch, that smarts…' the male thought, cringing as he rubbed his backside, which slightly ached from the sudden collision. However, IT soon took care of it, and by IT he meant something else that was part of his 'condition'.**

* * *

That last bit did NOT escape their attention. "What does he mean by that last bit?" Compa questioned, tilting her head in confusion.

"I can't tell ya, Compa, I can't see from here." Neptune replied in a strained voice as she tilted her head about so she could try and see Nico's booty. Though, she soon blushed when she realized what she was actually doing. "No! I'm not going into the dreaded harem genre already! Nope! Not Nepping Happening!"

"I get the feeling that we will learn in time. This condition of his seems quite important." Histoire commented, mentally noting to teach the CPU about proper manners when this chapter was done.

* * *

 **Before he could address anything though, Nico opened his eyes and was greeted by a sight that he did NOT see every day. There was a dirt covered face before his own, eyes closed so he couldn't tell who it was, but something DID tell him that this person was the same one they just pulled out. Now that he got a closer look at the girl, Nico began to analyse her appearance and condition.**

 **The girl had fair skin for starters, which was blemished by the amount of dirt on her, with sort lilac coloured hair that flared outwards, messy bangs covering her face. She had a pair of D-pad Hairclips on top her head, covered in dust from being in the dirt for so long. Her apparel consists of a choker around her neck with a light blue D-pad symbol on it and short-sleeved mini hoodie with blue and purple lining around the sleeves and the hood. The hoodie is closed by a button emblem with a large N in the middle and has two strings that look like controller plugs. She wore light blue and white striped thigh high stockings with frills at the tops and her shoes are purple and blue with an N on them.**

 **Now, any normal guy would be singing that they had a cute girl land on top of them and push them into a… compromising position now that Nico noticed. However, the male's first thought popped into his head, and it WASN'T what one would expect, '… how have her D pad clips not been damaged by the impact?' he wondered, looking at her hairclips. Now that he was looking at them, aside from them being covered in dirt from the earth they looked relatively unharmed, which confused the hell out of him.**

 **That was when things… got a bit heated.**

 **The girl on top of him began to shuffle about, rubbing herself on him with her arms wrapped around his body, rooting him in place. Nico gasped as his eyes became white and his face turned scarlet red. 'Wha-wha-wha, what the hell is going on here?!' Nico screamed in his mind, struggling to break free but to no avail. Unlike what her petite appearance suggested this girl was still very strong, just like Compa was. His blushing intensified when he felt her grinding against his neither regions, and Nico struggled even more to contain both the urge to moan in pleasure at the sensation, as well as the animalistic urge to go and…**

* * *

"Noooooo!" Neptune wailed, making to rush towards the projector only to get grabbed by Compa, whom held her by putting her arms under Neptune's armpits and pulling her in. "Compa! Don't stop me, I gptta stop my booty from getting violated!"

"It's not real, Nep-Nep! Sit down and be quiet!"

"But Compaaaaa!"

"NOW, NEP-NEP!"

The fact that Compa raised her voice quelled Neptune faster than how she devoured pudding.

* * *

 **'NO! DO NOT LET THAT URGE OUT! YOU DON'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A PAIR OF DEATHS!'**

* * *

"Uh, what does Nico mean by that?" IF questioned, thoughtfully. "Could he mean himself and Compa...?"

"Or he could mean her and Neptune." the Tome Fairy stated, concern evident. Something had to be going on, this condition seemed much more serious than she initially realized.

* * *

 **Fortunately for the Spec-Ops Agent, it wasn't long before his friend regained her bearings too, getting to her feet before noticing what her friend had been put into. "e-eh?!" she exclaimed rushing over and pulling the unconscious girl off him, flipping her over her shoulder like a fire fighter. "N-NI-NI, you didn't do anything to her, did you? Your supposed to go on dates first before any M rated stuff happens." She asked him with worry… and a slight edge of jealousy, though Nico didn't notice as he was too busy trying to defend himself against Compa's accusations.**

 **"N-N-No! she just fell on me, nothing happened at all I swear!" the male stuttered with an embarrassed look on his face. Nico couldn't believe that Compa thought something like that would have happened between someone who was freaking unconscious and him! Seriously while he knew some who would have jumped at the chance he at least had standards! And besides, it wasn't like he was attractive or anything. He usually got weird and creepy stares from them instead of affection!**

 **The slight moaning of the girl brought their attention back to the task at hand: getting that girl to somewhere where she could rest and clean up. "W-we can worry about that later! Let's get her to your place Compa, by the time we get back most of the Hospitals will be closed for the day, so your house is the best option." He told the Nurse in Training who quickly nodded to forget what had just happened. After Nico managed to get onto his feet, the male quickly followed her as they left the area with the girl in tow.**

* * *

"Whew, thank Goddess my hot bod didn't get Nepped today..." Neptune sighed with relief. Though she didn't show it, she felt impressed that the red haired male had held back. Maybe he might be an alright harem protag after all? Meh, she wasn't going to fall for that so easily! It'll take a whole lot more convincing for her to decide anything yet! Mark her nepping words!

* * *

 **Later, the two returned to Compa's house, Nico having forced himself not to think about what had just transpired with that girl in favour of keeping watch on his Holomap. It looked like luck was on their side yet again, considering how they didn't get attacked by any monsters yet again, something that Nico grew suspicious about. Then again, monster behaviour has been out of whack lately, so this could be another example of that.**

 **They both entered her house and went upstairs into Compa's bedroom. Nico excused himself though as a gesture of respect for the two girls and their privacy. He moved down into the living room and sat on the sofa, taking the remote that lay on the Armrest and flicked on the TV. He watched the news reports on monster activity, as well as what was going on with the other Nations.**

 **Apparently Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox were handling the monsters better than Planeptune thanks to their leaders, the four CPUs of Gamindustri, returning from the heavenly realm known as Celestia to the mortal world. However, there had been no sign of their CPU, Purple Heart, which worried the citizens greatly. The Basilicom, which was the place where the CPUs directly communicate with the people of the lands they oversaw, had been quick to try and persuade the citizens to remain hopeful, but the question remaining was: how long can they keep it up?**

* * *

"He's right..." Histoire sighed to herself, getting their attention. "So much tragedy happened because of that pointless war, tragedy that could have been avoided..."

"Hey, cheer up, Histy!" Neptune exclaimed, jumping from the sofa and jogging over to the Tome Fairy. "We're all buddies now, and hey maybe we can invite the others to read this with us! I bet they'll find it something nice to do, specially Blanc."

Her words did their job, and made Histoire smile once more, relieved that Neptune actually sounded like a CPU just then.

* * *

 **Nico frowned as he looked at the TV screen, switching it off with the remote. 'how far things have fallen…' he thought to himself, thinking about the situation brewing in Gamindustri. Unlike most of the world Nico didn't believe in any Goddess, never mind the CPU of the Nation he was born into. After fighting for so long, and witnessing what he had, Nico had come to one conclusion: you can't rely on the Goddesses for everything, to truly live in this world one had to fend for themselves when the Goddesses couldn't. they were merely four individuals, so they couldn't be part of everyone's' lives. It was pathetic and arrogant to think otherwise.**

 **That was what he had stuck to, and still he had survived the toughest of battles that few other Agents of the Guild could on their own.**

* * *

Now THAT got their attention.

"Wait, he doesn't believe in any Goddess?!" Compa exclaimed, shocked at such a notion. Something like that, it just didn't register in her mind, especially now. Back then maybe, but not now! Not when the CPUs did a lot for Gamindustri nowadays!

"That's... how did the Basilicom not brand him a heretic already?" IF wondered, frowning. "Maybe it was because he was in the Guild? But even then the Guild only allows people to worship any Goddess they want, not none at all. Are things really as bad as he makes them out to be?" she wondered, fearful. If this was what Gamindustri in this Fanfic was like...

'This could pose a problem should this fanfiction inspire some of those who do not see the CPUs too favorably..." Histoire thought, worried as she got visions of other people deciding to not believe in any Goddess anymore and decide only to believe in themselves. Nico's excuse seemed to be that he was trying to be more self-reliant, and that the Goddesses wouldn't be able to do everything so he had to do things himself. But the others may do it for more nefarious reasons.

* * *

 **An hour or so later, Nico heard footsteps come down the stairs as Compa emerged into the living room through the entrance from the Hallway. "How is she?" the male asked as she sat next to him, having taken off her boots at the entrance to her house. He had done the same with his boots and coat, too. He referred to the unconscious girl above them, who was likely sleeping in Compa's room right now.**

 **"Oh, she's alright now. Nurse Compa cleaned her up and put her to bed. She should be resting now." Compa explained to him, snuggling up to him. If anyone were to look at them they would think that they were an old married couple, and the two-mentioned people would vehemently deny it with massive blushes. They had just known each other for so long that they were cosy with each other and showed each other affection.**

* * *

"That sounds like in some mornings when I find Compa and Iffy hugging on the sofa..." Neptune muttered, thoughtfully but making sure the said girls didn't hear. Last time she commented Compa wouldn't make any pudding for her for a week. That was TORTURE, she tells the people reading this!

* * *

 **The male nodded at that, smiling to himself. "Good, hopefully she will wake up soon enough that she'll tell us why the hell she was there." He mused, getting a giggle from the cream haired girl.**

 **Looking up with her eyes, a theory popped into her mind. "I saw her when she was falling from the skies, so maybe that has something to do with anything?" she asked him, to which Nico began mauling it over in his head. That did seem like something of note, no normal person would just come falling from the skies. And they say that the other CPUs returned from Celestia, so could it be merely a coincidence? Nico wasn't sure, so he decided not to think about it.**

 **Fatigue soon assaulted and won over his resistance in a short bout for dominance. Slowly, his eyelids closed, and the male fell asleep, with Compa soon following suit. The sweet sound of oblivion came to them both, with silence being there to usher them towards it.**

* * *

 **The next morning, Nico awoke from his slumber, momentarily forgetting where he was until he remembered, before heading out to go to do his usual Quests. Nico hadn't wished to leave Compa alone like that, but he had work to do, so he left a note for her telling her where he was and that he would be back. Although, he never said when because being who he was meant that things could spiral downhill all too quickly.**

 **Fortunately, that didn't happen as throughout the entire morning all he had to do were fetch quests. Locating the correct items via his Holomap, finding them and sometimes fighting monsters that dropped them when defeated, and he was good. In the afternoon, Nico only had a couple hunting quests, which were also easy to do considering their low levels and his skills. Though, Nico was slightly saddened to not see IF at all today, she must have been on a long-term quest or perhaps she had moved on to a new Landmass. Likely Leanbox or Lowee as Lastation seemed to have a problem with its economics. All in all, it was an easy day today which didn't happen often.**

 **Which left him time to go back to Compa's house.**

 **Upon his return, Nico found himself surprised when he didn't see Compa in the living room or the kitchen. 'huh? Where could she be? I saw her boots at the front there, so where… Wait, I hear noises above me…' Nico looked up and heard noises coming from Compa's room. The only one in there was that girl, so… 'okay, let's see what's up.' He thought before heading upstairs.**

* * *

IF groaned, facepalming. "Oh, I think I know what will happen next..."

Both Neptune and Compa nodded, blushes on their faces as they remembered EXACTLY what happened back then.

* * *

 **Soon, the teenage Guild member had gotten to the door to Compa's room. The sounds had gotten progressively louder the closer he had gotten to them, which confirmed that they were coming from his friend's room. When he was close enough to the door, Nico placed his ear on the door and listened in:**

 **"Urrgh! H-Hold on! Can you make it a bit loose? It's getting tigh-!"**

 **"You don't want it too loose or you'll trip. Just be patient now."**

 **STRETCH!**

 **"Ugh! I can't breathe… my back! Ahhhh-! Ah…"**

 **"Nep-Nep? Are you okay? Please come back! Nep-Nep? NEP-NEP?!"**

 **Okay, NOW Nico was concerned as he quickly barged into the room. "Compa, what happened?! I heard-PFFT!" the male began, fearing that something really bad had happened like a murder. However, he was forced to do a spit take at what he was seeing, his face soon sporting a massive blush at the sight. Any normal man would be like 'awwww yeah!' while singing the merry go round anthem, but Nico didn't. he could barely comprehend what was happening before him correctly without his brain short-circuiting.**

 **Before his eyes, Nico saw both Compa and the girl they had just rescued. The latter was completely naked, save for a series of tightly wrapped bandages that barely covered her modesty. She had fallen onto the bed with her face a mix of blue and purple, looking like she was about to pass out from the lack of oxygen. Compa kneeled beside her, staring at him in shock like a deer caught in the headlights.**

 **That shock soon faded, allowing her to speak, and not completely stutter free, either. "N-Ni-Ni, what are you doing?!" she cried out in alarm. "this is a serious operation I'm doing here!" the male didn't answer her in favour of helping the poor purplette. He ran to the side of the bed, after grabbing some Scissors, and with a flurry of motion managed to cut some of the bandages that limited her breathing.**

 **The girl took a large breath of air almost immediately, her eyes shooting wide open. "Air! How I missed you!" she bellowed dramatically. she did this while kneeling on one leg while raising her arms to the heavens like she was talking to the divine. Nico idly noted that they were a darker shade of lilac.**

 **"There, now that that's done…" Nico began… before turning on his heels and hightailing it outta there, closing the door behind him with an Audible THUD that made the girls jump at thee volume. "Compa let the kid do the Bandages, or bondages in this case!" he bellowed while going downstairs. "I'll be downstairs when it's done, so Text me on my Phone."**

 **"Got it! And they're Bandages, Ni-Ni!"**

* * *

"The Heroic OC strikes again!"

"Nep-Nep, it wasn't that bad..."

"You tell me that after you nearly caused me to go into the light!"

"...Muuu..."

"Great, Nep look what you did, you made Compa cry."

* * *

 **Moments later, Nico was texted, and the message told him he could come back up to the room again. Whatever THAT had been about, Nico didn't wanna have a repeat of it, he so hoped that wouldn't happen again, he had almost had a heart attack at how she had done all that. His mind just couldn't comprehend the fact that something as simple as Bandages had led to THAT kind of situation.**

 **When he finally decided to gather his courage, Nico stood up and went upstairs, soon entering Compa's room. To his relief, the situation looked to be resolved as the girl had dressed herself properly and had bandages that weren't trying to squeeze her lungs out her orifice. She was sitting with her legs crossed like an X on the bed with Compa standing not too far away, looking down in shame as memories of the same situation flashed through her mind.**

 **"Th-that was close…! I was an inch away from entering… the light." She said, pausing a few times to take a breath while at the end a bit of drama could be detected from her tone of voice. She then looked to Nico, her eyes scanning over his form as she held her chin like an inspector.**

 **It served the purpose of making Nico uncomfortable though, as he shuffled nervously at her gaze. "Uh… you need something? Is there something on me you don't like?" the teen questioned, trying not to wilt under her stare. The way she was looking at him sent his nerves onto edge, something that he found discomforting for several reasons.**

 **When it ended, the girl's expression became the exact opposite. She gained a grateful glint in her eyes as her face softened into a bright smile. "Thanks again buddy, ya know, for saving ma Nep hide there! I would have had a bad end if you didn't step in." she thanked him with a thumbs-up sign. She stuck her tongue out childishly while doing this, which made Nico smirk at her childishness.**

 **"No problem, girl. I'd feel rather like crap if I let you die. Though Compa here did help heal you despite the... incident. Anyways, the name's Nico, Spec-Ops Agent. Nice to meet you." The male introduced himself with a bow.**

 **This made an amused grin form on the girl's face as she hummed to herself, a hand on her chin as she processed this formal introduction. "hmmmm, a formal introduction to a character huh? Interesting, not very common in this Franchise. Alrightie, my name is Neptune. Nice to meetchya." She greeted with a salute. While Nico was confused on what she meant by "character" and "Franchise" he nonetheless ignored it, figuring that it was part of her personality or something like that.**

 **"Meh, anyways, I assume Compa's already intro'd herself?" he asked, turning his head to face the Nurse in Training, who nodded happily, inwardly glad that they weren't commenting on what had just transpired anymore. "Alright then, let's get down to business. why were you-"**

 **Before he could say any more, a loud groaning sound interrupted them, sounding like a bear's mating** call.

* * *

"Well..." IF began, looking in both amusement and exasperation towards a bashful Neptune. "He's not wrong."

"Feeling the love here, Iffy..."

* * *

 **Nico's eyes shot open wide in surprise at this as he looked around for the source of the sound. 'Whoa! The hell?! Why do I hear bears this deep within Planeptune? I'm pretty sure they aren't kept as pets…' he thought, before his gaze narrowed down onto the now flustered looking Neptune who was rubbing the back of her head in a sheepish manner and looking like a criminal guilty of a crime. "… that your stomach?"**

 **"Hehehe, yeah, I'm kinda hungry, to be honest…" the girl replied, causing Nico to face fault. 'Seriously? That sound almost made my hairs stand up on end.' He thought in amazement while Neptune turned to Compa who was looking thoughtful at her. "Hey, um, Compa? You have anything I can eat?" she asked her pleadingly. Whatever had happened to her must have drained her quite a bit if her stomach had made its desire for food known like that.**

 **Thinking hard about the question, Compa soon concluded what she needed to say as she went towards the door. "Food? Well, I don't have much, but how about some pudding?" she offered the purplette.**

 **Said girl just tilted her head in confusion, it was like she had never heard of Pudding before, "Pudding? Um, what's a pudding?" she questioned, drawing surprised looks from the other two occupants of the room. They didn't expect this, well, that wasn't completely true, as Compa was unsuspecting while something was brewing in Nico's mind about the situation. But he didn't say anything about it just yet.**

 **"How about you wait and see. I'm sure you'll like it."**

* * *

"The Chapter's done!" Compa cheered, really pumped for the next chapter.

But before she could continue, both IF and Histoire gained dark auras as they glared at Neptune, whom sweated moderately. "Um, guys...?"

"... Why not see who of us is faster?"

"Sure."

And there the two went, Neptune speeding out the room like the hounds of hell were on her with IF (Who had her Qatars out) and Histoire (Whom had pulled out a chainsaw from nowhere like Neptune sometimes did) hot on her heels.

Compa only stared dumbly.

"Iffy and Histy... why are they so mad at Nep-Nep?"


	4. Chapter 4 - Reading Chapter 3

Once IF and Histoire had finished placing divine retribution (oh the irony) on Neptune, they all returned to the living room where an innocently waiting Compa sat on the sofa, kicking the air with her legs. The two chasers looked like they'd taken a bath with how radiant and refreshed they looked, while Neptune had the demeanor of a crinkled old man, using a walking stick and all.

"I-Iffy... and histy... are terrifying... when together. Noted in ma Nepbook..." she muttered, flopping onto the sofa. "Compaaaaaa! Can I have my Pudding? I need the energyyyyyy..." she whined weakly.

A small giggle came from the Nurse as she shot off the sofa and went to get some pudding. She returned minutes later with a pot of Pudding in hand, handing it over to the preteen who wolfed it down faster than fans for a certain monster hunting franchise went to the shops when MHW came out.

Instantly afterwards, the preteen shot back up, energized and well once more while she tossed the walking stick aside. "Yippee, the Nep is back in service!" she yelled, before flopping back down and eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

Same with everyone else.

The next chapter loaded up, and the girls all eagerly awaited what would happen next. So far, this story seemed quite entertaining, if a bit on the edgy side (according to Neptune) but still entertaining.

* * *

 **Chapter 3 - Virtua Forest, ladies and gentlemen!**

 **Once Compa had left to go get some Pudding, something that Nico remembered seeing in the fridge one time, Neptune turned her head to face him, her expression of curiosity and wonder made her look… cute, if he could describe it. Though Nico wasn't sure what constituted as cute for her. "Say, you look like your all wise and with the know-how, you know what a Pudding is?" she asked him.**

 **"It's a desert meant for after a big meal." Nico answered, shifting on his position on the ground so that he was in the same position as Neptune. To be honest it looked much cosier than standing, and something told him that formalities weren't an issue with this girl here, not like with his superiors in the WDD or some of the other Guild Agents. "Anyways, do you have amnesia by chance? Your apparent lack of understanding about Pudding makes me suspicious about that." He asked her, while mentally adding 'And a whole load of other things…'**

* * *

"Wooooooowwwww..." Neptune droned with a blank face. "Way to be all blunt and direct."

IF just rolled her eyes at the preteen.

* * *

 **What he meant by that was that his senses were going haywire just by being near her. It wasn't like they wanted him to end her, although he suspected that would solve the immediate issue, however they did tell him to be extremely cautious around her. This had happened many times before when he was out in the field, where he would feel his instincts go wild as if they were a child throwing a temper tantrum. This happened only when he was faced to face with a superior predator, be it a strong monster or someone of high standing. Nico referred to it as his instincts going into a 'trigger event'.**

 **If this event was happening around Neptune, then…**

* * *

"This reminds me of when an animal senses danger. It's instincts always make it go into a defensive posture so it's ready for whatever danger's lurking nearby." Histoire commented thoughtfully, a hand on her chin as she tried to recall when she read something like that.

If Nico has an instinct like that...

* * *

 **"Amnesia, huh? Well, I guess so… huh..." The girl mused thoughtfully, before she continued after a short silence. "Well, aside from my name and some generic things I don't remember much else. It's all a blank from this noggin'o'mine. I guess it's a start, what do you think, Nicky?"**

 **Nico was contemplative until the end of her sentence, where he gave Neptune a deadpanned expression, clearly he was not amused by the nickname she had just used on him. "… Nicky? Really, Neptune?" he asked her with a sigh. Something told him that she was like Compa, when she gave someone a nickname, it stuck no matter how hard one tried to change it otherwise.**

 **"Yeppers! It's cute don't you think?"**

 **Called it.**

* * *

"I dunno, I kinda like it, it's kinda cute now that I think about it." Neptune remarked thoughtfully, before her eyes brightened and a wide grin escaped onto her features. "Alrighty then, Nicky it is!"

IF and Histoire sweat dropped and groaned at the same time, while Compa just clapped happily for the preteen who basked in the praise as if she were trying to get a tan on the beach.

* * *

 **'Something tells me ignoring my instincts will be harder than I thought…' Nico thought while lamenting the fact that he had such a nickname on him now. While he could deal with Compa's 'Ni-Ni' because she wasn't good with remembering names, having Neptune on top of that… ugh, it was a dark day for DEATHSTROKE. "And I thought I was done with Nicknames… #sigh#, whatever." He muttered under his breath, before looking up at Neptune with a weak smile. "In any case, thanks for answering my question. I'll return the favour by telling you how you got here."**

 **But before he could, Compa returned, entering the room with a cup of pudding for each of them, much to Nico's dismay, as she explained that she thought it was fair for everyone to have some. 'Oh shit, I was so obsessed with getting information about Neptune that I forgot about the Pudding!' he screamed mentally while outside he gratefully excepted the pudding she gave him. It was put on top of one of her teacup plates due to its size with a spoon beside it. 'Alright, alright dude, chill the fuck out! Just do what you did before then wait till an opportunity to go to the Bathroom arises.'**

* * *

"Oooooohhhhh, yeah kinda forgot he can't eat human foods..." Neptune muttered under her breath, her eyes widening afterwards in genuine horror. "Oh no, is he going to think Pudding tastes bad?! No, I refuse to accept that!"

"Nep-Nep, it's not Ni-Ni's fault... I think." Compa defended the boy, sort of since she wasn't sure of how he got this condition in the first place.

"Way to be solid there, Compa..." IF stated blankly, getting a nervous laugh from the Nurse.

* * *

 **Calming down internally, Nico switched his gaze to the impending horror in his hands, towards Neptune to see her reaction to the sight of the supposedly 'sweet desert'. He wasn't disappointed, hell Nico even chuckled at her inquisitive face as she experimented with the Pudding in her hands. "So, this yellow thing is called Pudding, hmm? Whoa! It wiggles when you touch it!" she exclaimed when she poked the side of the desert with her index finger, giggling at how it wriggled about until it settled back into its standing upright position.**

 **"Nep-Nep… did you lose your memory of food too?" Compa asked, clearly concerned about the girl's mental health. Nico could see it in her eyes as she watched the preteen Amnesiac play with her food which she normally would have scolded her by now if she wasn't so concerned.**

 **So, deciding to let Neptune have her fun, Nico went and filled her in on what had happened when she wasn't in the room, Neptune's amnesia and his preparation for giving her info on how she wound up in her room. Compa too expressed her concerns, showing her profession's background with her thoughts and expressions. Nico had to assure her that Neptune was doing okay, and that Amnesia usually is only temporary.**

 **"Well! Here I go! #Chomp#"**

 **While they were discussing her amnesia the purplette had enough of waiting around and took a bite out of her pudding. This drew their attention, Compa and Nico awaiting her reaction. The instant she took a small bite, her eyes went wide open, almost forming stars as she quickly devoured the rest in a single second. Nothing remained of the pudding that was once on her plate. "The tantalising sweetness just melts on my tongue! This is the best!" she proclaimed in shock and awe, looking down at the plate as if it were the personification of a goddess.**

* * *

"Yup!" Neptune shouted as she jumped onto the sofa, standing tall like a superhero would. "Pudding's the best, there's no doubt about it! Anyone who thinks otherwise is an affront to all Pudding lovers in the world!"

"Nep, get down from there otherwise you'll fall and hurt yourself!"

"Oh, Iffy, you worry too much... whoa,n wha-wha-whaaaaaaa... BONK! Owwie...!"

"I tried to tell you..."

* * *

 **'Well, she really likes it then…' Nico thought to himself, swiftly eating his Pudding in one gulp. The second his tongue connected with it Nico had to hold himself back from throwing it up back onto his plate. 'Ugh, how revolting! It tastes like dog shit being thrown into an oil reserve!' he thought, barely holding himself back from tearing as he swallowed it all in one bite not wanting to have its taste in his mouth for very long. 'Alright, just grin and bear it, just grin and bear it till you can vomit it out later…'**

* * *

Compa's eyes watered at seeing how much pain the male was in, especially with what he thought while eating the Pudding. "That must be so bad to taste... how awful."

"Yeah, there's no way any Pudding lover would agree to that!" Neptune yelled in anger at the insults towards her favourite snack. Then, her eyes softened ass she remembered what this guy had. "But uh... I suppose he has his reasons, huh...?"

Ironically, she was glared at by everyone in the room before admitting that.

* * *

 **"Really…?" Compa asked, completely mystified and happy that Neptune had liked the pudding she had brought her.**

 **The purple haired Amnesiac nodded in response, her eyes beaming with joy that hadn't been there in such quantities before. "This has to have been made by the Pudding gods themselves. There is no other plausible exception to the amount of love I give to this Pudding." Neptune proclaimed, grinning widely. It was a complete contrast compared to Nico, whom instead had been disgusted when the food was still in his mouth due to his 'condition'. "Where can I get more?"**

 **"Well, I actually made it myself."**

 **'And there goes Compa's skill in cooking…' Nico thought to himself. 'It must have been a while since I last tasted her cooking and liked it, I think it was… before I had this 'condition' which was around when I…' he paused his thinking when memories came back to him, memories that he hadn't been thinking about in a long time.**

 **Nico had been dropped off at Compa's Grandfather's house when he was 11, which was when he had lost a large portion of his memories. His time from when he was 6 up to 11 was nothing but a complete blur, and that time was likely when something had happened to his Parents, because even with Nico's photographic memory whenever he tried to remember the faces of his parents his head would suddenly feel like it was tearing itself in two. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong except for partial amnesia, something he didn't expect to happen to him.**

 **After he had been dropped off by the authorities under request by his parents, supposedly since Nico had no way to be sure with his partial amnesia, Nico had spent a year with them, quickly bonding with the two-sole people he could recall with perfect clarity. At least, those after he hit 11, beforehand someone else could be remembered, someone whom he had spent the last 4 years with.**

* * *

"So what we can take from this..." IF began, crossing her arms in front of her chest while putting one leg over the other. "Is that Nico's amnesia takes place between the ages 6 to 11, and that his condition started showing up at some point during that time. Not sure since it doesn't explicitly say. "He's dropped off by the government at Compa's house when she was young. He spends a year with them, before he ventures off and becomes a Spec Ops Agent, during which time he get's Compa's affections. This 'other person' seems to be someone who Nico spends those next 4 years with, so this person is the only other person he knows."

"Iffy, please don't say that as if it's common knowledge! It's super embarrassing people saying like Ni-Ni!"

"You're the one who I should say that to, you're talking like you already know him."

"..."

* * *

 **But that was for another time it seemed, for something part of Neptune and Compa's conversation caught his interest. "Well, I wanna know what happened to me, so I'm gonna go back to where I was found." Neptune commented, several cups of pudding that were empty littering her sitting space. Nico assumed that she must have asked for more when he was busy with his internal monologue.**

 **"Ooh! Then me and Ni-Ni will take you." Compa said happily while glancing to Nico. The male looked back at her, mentally debating what to do. On one hand, he could just let them go by themselves, but then they could get ambushed by a pack of Monsters, particularly THAT kind. And he never wanted to see something like that happen, especially to his closest friend. On the other hand, however, he could go with them and find out just what the mystery surrounding Neptune was.**

 **In the end, his desires to both protect Compa from THEM and the desire to unravel the mystery surrounding Neptune won him over. "Aright, yeah sure we'll take you. Who knows maybe we'll have some form of surprise encounter… or something." He mused to himself, although right afterwards the male suddenly got te feeling that he had just jinxed them. Frowning mentally, Nico shook it off, tough it did get recorded by his brain, so he would be on guard the whole time.**

 **"Yippie-dippie! This is gonna be so totally rad you guys, our first adventure together as friends!" Neptune cheered with her arms thrown into the air. She hopped up and down and quickly ran towards the door to Compa's bedroom, throwing it open and rushing out faster than they could blink. Both Nico and the owner of the house stared at the space she was at behind the door, until her head popped in from the side, her expression one of impatience. "What ya waiting for slowpokes? Chop-chop, daylight's burnin' ya know!"**

 **And with that, Neptune ran down the stairs. They could hear her footsteps fading as the distance between them increased. Nico looked at Compa, who had done the same, for a few seconds before sighing and shrugging his shoulders. "Well, looks like the hyper girl's a calling, let's not keep her waiting." He mused with a small chuckle, walking out the room after the excitable preteen amnesiac... after making a quick trip to the bathroom.**

 **Compa merely giggled at the term of events as she soon went after them.**

* * *

 **After they had caught up with Neptune and had gotten themselves ready, Nico, Compa and heir new excitable companion went out of the house and made their way towards the main city. It was a rather short walk, shorter than usual with Neptune's usual antics. But it did give Nico and Compa insight into Neptune's character. It seemed that she was an excitable, dim witted person who liked making jokes about the situations she got herself in. it was like she was this self-sufficient ball of energy that would keep on humming through the rest of time.**

 **Compa herself really seemed to hit it off with her, and not in the sexual way if any readers with perverted thoughts are reading this. She and Neptune seemed to share the same mentality, often engaging with her antics to create random scenarios. One time they were literally walking on their hands because Neptune said it would be a 'rush to get there' in her words. The male had to avert his eyes as gravity did its thing though regarding Compa's skirt. Neptune didn't have that much of a problem since she didn't wear one, only her tight hoodie.**

* * *

"Good, now I don't have to castrate him..." IF commented, putting away her Qatars that she'd summoned from her Inventory while she saw that part.

Compa, Neptune and Histoire did the same thing, sighing in relief.

* * *

 **However, Nico still had his doubts about the girl. She seemed very open about her feelings, but was that a ruse? Was it an act to fool them into helping her along? Did she have some ulterior motive? Along with her mysterious past, it made it hard for Nico to place his trust in her. He had seen many people in his life with the Guild, some of them were exactly like this. However, they later revealed themselves to have been putting on an act to fool others into thinking they were harmless… when they were anything but.**

* * *

"Whoaaaaaa, edginess alert!" Neptune exclaimed as they saw those thoughts.

Compa pouted in slight anger at the thoughts running around Nico's head. "How mean! Why would he think poor Nep-Nep is bad?"

"Given the circumstances and his occupation, it's not that hard to believe guys." IF remarked, getting their attention. She couldn't help the surprise she felt at how interesting this fanfiction was. While it seemed like a retelling of Rebirth 1, there were significant changes to keep it fresh. Yet, she couldn't help but feel like she hadn't even seen anything yet, which sorta filled her with a mounting excitement. "It's like he said, people can put on ruses that fool people, just look at Ganache and Mister Badd. They seemed like alright people save for their professional demeanors, but then what happened? Plus, this guy seems quite protective of Compa, something we all can relate to."

On that, Neptune agreed while Compa blushed in joy at the thought of everyone caring about her.

* * *

 **Soon though, the three arrived deeper within Planeptune, exposing the sights to the young Amnesiac who was like a child walking through a store he/she had never seen before. Her eyes darted around in innocent wonder, sparkling with curiosity and awe. "Wow! This place is SO huge!" Neptune exclaimed, throwing her arms to the air then arching them down as if to showcase how large the City was. She quickly turned on one heel, almost looking like she was about to fall when she perfectly balanced herself on one foot as she looked to Compa. "So Compa, what's this City called?" she asked excitedly.**

 **"This is Planeptune, the city that Lady Purple Heart presides over." Compa replied with a hand enclosed om front of the space above her breasts.**

 **A flicker of something appeared in Neptune's eyes the moment the word 'Planeptune' exited Compa's mouth, something that Nico caught onto. 'Oh? Does she know that name?' he wondered, still in doubt on if Neptune was really faking them out. He couldn't decipher more because of two reasons: one, Nico saw that it had vanished as soon as it came.**

 **The other? Was because Neptune Vocalised it, "Planeptune… Planeptune, Planeptune…" the girl murmured to herself, an index finger on her jaw as she closed her eyes and made a thoughtful expression. She seemed to be thinking hard to herself about something, likely the name of the city she was in. "That name sounds oddly familiar…" she mused, leaning her body from side to side.**

* * *

"Of course, it does, its my home!"

"We know Nep, we know..."

"Nep-Nep in her own way, is getting into this as well... hehehehe, it makes me one happy Compa.

* * *

 **Compa gave an eye smile after she said that. She assumed the familiarity came from something else, not her past, "it sounds a lot like your name, Nep-Nep." She remarked, and Nico had to admit to himself that she was right. Take away the 'Pla' from 'Planeptune' and you get 'Neptune'. Already Nico's suspicions were increased regarding this girl. Her name sounds like the Nation they were in? What an incredible coincidence…**

* * *

'It is not a coincidence, young man...' Histoire thought to herself, a pleased smile on her features as she watched Nico demonstrate his observation and deduction skills. If he was in their Gamindustri, maybe things would get done much quicker than they were.

* * *

 **"It does, huh?" Neptune nodded her head in agreement, taking a few more seconds to ponder what this meant before changing the subject as she skipped over to them and leaned forwards, giving them her big eyes and pursing her lips together thoughtfully, looking goddamn adorable with her hands behind her back. "So, where we going? Do I need to bring something with me?" she asked them.**

 **Before Compa could reply, Nico grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it, drawing her attention to him. "What is it, Ni-Ni?" she questioned while tilting her head in confusion. His expression right now was one that he made when he worked with rookie Guild Agents in the field, one of grim and uncertainty. She didn't like it, not one bit, but she guessed that he had a reason to make that face. Nico never did anything without a reason, that she knew thanks to their long period of knowing each other.**

 **"Since it's the day, it's likely that Monsters have infested Virtua forest, so we should probably look for a weapon for the girl. She may need one to fend the monsters off." He told her. While the monsters in that Dungeon were weak as fuck, they could still be dangerous to rookies, he had seen one get eaten alive by a plant-like monster before because he arrogantly assumed they weren't able to hurt him.**

* * *

Cue shudders from the girls.

"This Gamindustri seems a bit more dark than the remake..." Neptune couldn't help but comment, a thoughtful frown on her lips.

Compa frowned also. "Well, monsters were a bit of a problem back then, but even so this Gamindustri almost seems like it has it worse than us."

"Of course it does." IF stated, getting their attention. "These things have been around since Gamindustri first came to being, according to the story. So it's only natural that people have problems with them."

* * *

 **It seemed that his point got through for Compa's expression gained a light of realisation, before she turned to Neptune, who was slightly caught off guard by her serious stare, "Nep-Nep, do you have any experienced in fighting? Because where we're going, you may need a weapon." She asked the purplette.**

 **Neptune hummed to herself, wondering if she did have experience fighting… for a millisecond. "Of course I have EXP in fighting, I'm the main character of my franchise after all!" she beamed with a wide grin. Both slightly jumped at how bubbly she sounded, like se didn't even have a sense of danger in her body. something then caught her eye, prompting her to go. "Just a sec!" to them before heading towards, and jumping into and rummaging through a nearby dumpster. Only her lower body, from her shoes to her butt, were visible as she kicked the air slowly while a humming tune could be heard within. Nico turned away because the angle would reveal her underwear, which he didn't want to see.**

* * *

"Hmmm, I'm starting to wonder if Nicky here is Gay or not, not wanting to see my nep flesh."

"Wait, you WANT him to see?"

"Huh? Did I say that?"

"No, but you implied..."

"..."

* * *

 **"Nep-Nep, what are you doing, rummaging through the garbage?"**

 **That was what Compa had asked her, completely befuddled as to wat the preteen's intent was. Nico himself was also puzzled, but he dared not speak lest he draw attention to himself, and he REALLY didn't want that because it would be… kinda awkward for him to explain why he wasn't looking at Neptune right now.**

 **Fortunately for him, this didn't last long, for it seemed Neptune had found what she was looking for as apparent by the "Aha!" that came from the garbage dumpster. She then pushed herself out with her spoils in hand, shaking herself to get rid of the gruel she had accumulated in the dumpster before walking towards them with an up-beat spring in her step. "Look what I found, Compa! A sword!" she proclaimed like a happy child, smiling happily as she presented the weapon to her.**

 **Well, it could hardly be called a weapon, considering that the sword was made of wood. But Nico wasn't surprised because of that alone, what surprised him was the fact that Neptune thought that was the standard view of what a weapon looked like. 'Seriously, what the hell's this girl thinking? All she could do with that against a monster would be either break it or give the monsters blisters.'**

* * *

"It IS a starters weapon, ya know! Perfect for the early game baddies!" Neptune exclaimed hotly while defending that wooden sword. It was her first weapon, cut her some slack! Heck, she even had it stored away for use if she gets turned to level 1 again!

"Still, Nico does indeed have a point." Histoire stated blankly, sweat dropping. "It hardly fits as a weapon in a realistic sense."

"Bah, realistic schmilistic, I kick reason and logic to the curb every day!"

"Yes, yes you do... and you cause so many headaches cause of it..."

* * *

 **"Well, it is made of wood, but hey it's a sword!" Neptune even unknowingly voiced some of Nico's thoughts, which made him wonder, was Neptune a psychic? Compa looked just as befuddled as Nico was, in fact it could be said she was even more confused. Her brain couldn't process what was going through the purplette's head either. Judging by her happy face and her slight leaning from side to side, Nico assumed that she wanted to be complimented for her find, sort of like an animal looking for attention from its master, or in the anime and manga industry: a 'Notice me Sempai' character.**

* * *

"Hey that's chika, not me!"

"Quiet, Nep!"

* * *

 **Regardless, Compa decided to voice their thoughts on the matter in a polite way as to not offend the girl, "Um… that's great Nep-Nep, but what do you plan on using it for, anyways?" she asked her, blinking several times beforehand as if to shake away the confusion she was feeling. However, it persisted much to her internal dismay.**

 **"Um… LARPing?"**

 **Apparently even Neptune didn't know why. No, it was more like she just thought, ''Hey! Sword! Weapon!" that was what Nico was thinking, at least. A small, awkward silence overtook them, one where Neptune began to feel more and more uncomfortable by the second. This was evident by the fidgeting she was doing that was becoming more noticeable as time went by.**

 **Finally, Compa broke the silence before te preteen could die of discomfort, "um, okie-dokie Nep-Nep…" she said, bringing the male out of his thoughts as he shook his head, he probably shouldn't question much of what Neptune did to preserve his sanity. That was what he was getting from this incident here.**

 **With that, the trio continued their journey.**

* * *

 **Walking along to the Virtua Forest this time was QUITE different compared to the last time. The reason for that: Neptune was ogling Nico's Holomap, the item he was using to make sure they didn't have any random encounters. Since she had amnesia, Neptune likely had never seen the type of equipment Nico sported on an everyday basis, which meant that he had a lot of explaining to do about what he had, how they were the prototype versions of weapons that were made for military use. This included other equipment as well, which led to some interesting reactions from the purplette.**

 **He didn't tell her about the Guild or much else about where he worked though, that stuff would be revealed to her soon enough anyways, if Compa had any say in the matter. Also, it was theorized that Neptune would likely attract a LOT of attention in the future given how many stares she received during the walk out Planeptune. He had to give them glares though to warn them not to try anything funny. Especially with Compa.**

 **Anyone who tried to do anything funny with Compa deserved to have their balls crushed.**

* * *

"You know what?" IF began, a grin slowly creeping onto her face as she cracked her knuckles. "I'm liking this guy's style." She agreed wholeheartedly with him, nobody should look at Compa like that unless they wanted to have their balls ripped off. Basically, a castration. She did think that he should have told Neptune about the Guild, but with what she knew from those two it would have been better to explain it later on anyways. They were focused mor eon finding Neptune's memories after all.

She didn't notice the slightly fearful looks that she got from the others.

* * *

 **After a couple hours of walking, they finally reached the same entrance to Virtua Forest as the one that Nico and Compa had travelled into to fetch Neptune's unconscious self. The said preteen looked around, taking every single sigh in while examining her surroundings. "So, this is where I was elegantly lodged into the ground, right?" she asked, tuning towards the two.**

 **"I wouldn't say 'elegant' but…"**

 **Nico began only to notice the pouty glare that Neptune suddenly gave him for his remark. "#scoff# rude! All pure maidens have elegance in their veins, it's a natural part of our anatomy. Right Compa?" Neptune scolded Nico for his 'arrogance' before turning to the cream haired girl again.**

 **Said girl smiled weakly while sweat dropping. "Well… I'm not so sure about that…" before this strange conversation could continue the girl decided that Neptune's question from earlier needed to be answered lest it be forgotten. "This isn't the place, it's a bit further back, but…" her eyes widened as worry took over her being. "Oh no…" she muttered, concern and worry overcoming her.**

 **Nico quickly checked his Holomap, and when he did the male sighed deeply, "I knew it…" he muttered, face palming before shaking his head. This was bound to happen eventually, but fortunately they all had weapons, otherwise this would have been a lot harder. 'All my weapons are set and ready, so I'm set. Compa has her Syringe due to her being a Medic. She'll be our healer, and Neptune… Neptune is a wild card, depending on how she fights she'll either be a great help or a great hindrance to us.' He thought, plans and calculations forming in his head.**

* * *

"Oooh, a battle scene, finally! Let's see how this Author writes combat scenes, will he flunk like Blanny blanny bee, or will he pass?!"

"Nep-Nep... If Blanc were here she'd hit you real hard on the head for saying that nickname..."

* * *

 **"Huh? Compa? Nicky? Your both acting so weird, what's up?"**

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **And again, Neptune's lack of a danger sense shone through, breaking the atmosphere the two had set up into a million pieces, never to be made whole ever again. Though, perhaps that was part of her charm as a person, her lack of danger meant she had the guts to do things normal people wouldn't dare to. He could only hope that was the case.**

* * *

At this point, IF aimed a wry glance towards the preteen. "You just don't have a sense of danger, do you?"

"Nope, cause plot armour is on my side!"

* * *

 **"Remember when I explained my Holomap to you, Neptune?" Nico began, pressing a few keys on his Bracer to activate said function. A live hologram of Virtua forest appeared over his Bracer, displaying countless red dots throughout their course that weren't there last night. He showed it to her, and Neptune oooh'ed over it like she did before. "This shows that there's been an influence of monsters, this area has been taken over. Fortunately, they're rather weak, so we should be able to handle them. But don't let your guard down, there's plenty of monsters that have some tricks hidden up their sleeves.**

 **Neptune didn't quite get it, but her brain processed the serious looks on their faces and concluded that things were getting serious, although she didn't know why. "Monsters?" she asked while glancing about. Soon, what looked like a 'monster' hopped out of the wilderness into the middle of the path they needed to travel. "You mean that blue dog-like jelly thing over there?" she asked, pointing to the creature.**

 **The moment Nico's eyes landed upon the creature, his eyes lit aflame with anger, his fury coursing through him and threatening to take over his instincts to make him utterly smite it off the face of the earth. "Y-Yeah… like that." He stated, trying to keep his voice level and calm, masking the venomous hatred that he felt for THAT species.**

 **However, it must have failed because Neptune had noticed, so did Compa as they both felt chills crawl up their spines like a dog hounding a piece of meat. "Brrr! What is with this scary bloodlust that's sending warning signals to my brain? Hey, dude? You okay? You look like your about to throw a fit." Neptune commented, looking rather worried about the male who was still glaring at the monster ahead of them, not even motioning to let them know he had heard her question.**

 **"N-Ni-Ni you okay? Your scaring me…" Compa asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. That seemed enough to snap him out of his rage, as his eyes widened, and he gasped, quickly suppressing the emotion he felt to that species as he shook his head, holding the side of his forehead.**

 **"Ugh, y-yeah I'm good, just don't like this species very much. I've got some bad experiences with em."**

 **That was taking it lightly, Nico was aware of their true potential, especially when these creatures, which were called 'Dogoos' according to the Guild Bestiary, were around young girls/ he had heard all sorts of bad rumours about them, and with the few experiences he had with them Nico was willing to believe them.**

* * *

"While they are some of the lesser monsters..." Histoire began, shuddering. "I cannot disagree that they are quite... lively around young women."

"Histy... do you wanna share something with us? You sound like you have experience with this." Neptune questioned, for the Tome Fairy to rapidly shake her head.

"I refuse that notion with every page in my book!"

* * *

 **Once he had regained significant control over his emotions, Nico looked to Neptune and spoke, "these weren't here the last time we were here because back then it was night-time, so they were likely sleeping. During the day, they are most active." He explained, nodding towards Compa, "that was why I was most persistent in giving you a weapon, Neptune. you'll need one if you wanna dispatch them, even if they're weak."**

 **"Oh? Ohhhh, right I see…" Neptune said while realising what he had meant back in the city. His words tang through her mind like a hammer smashing through the armour of a monster, "Since it's the day, it's likely that Monsters have infested Virtua forest, so we should probably look for a weapon for the girl. She may need one to fend the monsters off." Those were the words he had told Compa before she had inquired as to her ability to fight. Now it made sense why he was so worried about her.**

 **Turning to their resident Medic, Neptune had one last question before things would really get rolling. "So, this world has monsters running over it like any RPG, right?" she asked, referring to game logic. Another point the two had discovered about her, Neptune liked making references to games, or game mechanics. It fit her personality, how she saw the world as a game meant she didn't have much fear of things like certain death.**

 **"I guess so, the monsters have been around for as long as Gamindustri itself." Compa replied while thinking hard. It looked like she was having trouble with that due to how red she was getting, there was LITERALLY steam rolling off the top of her head. Any more and the other two feared she may pass out.**

 **Nico quickly intervened placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey lemme handle it, okay Compa?" he asked her gently. Compa looked up into his eyes, about to protest about it when she saw his intense gaze. It made her heart skip a beat as a red hue formed over her cheeks. Slowly, she looked down, so she didn't see his gaze, muttering a near-silent okay in response.**

 **The male sighed in relief, unaware of the effect his gaze had on her. 'Geez, this on can be such a handful sometimes… I wonder who's the more mature of the two, Neptune or Compa?' he idly wondered, before dismissing such thoughts. He had a job to do, and Nico was going to do it. "Well, like Compa said we've had monsters for as long as we can remember, but lately something has happened, and their population spiked. Its led to some… difficult problems." he explained, mentally shivering. By problems, he meant large raids on settlements, people being slaughtered and eaten, intense security measures taken, a whole load of changes had to be made so that the people of Gamindustri were safe.**

* * *

More shudders came from the girls when they heard that part.

"Wow... things DO seem that bad..." IF commented, summarizing their thoughts in a nutshell.

They could only hope nothing bad happened to them along their journey. With how serious the story took that monster problem, they didn't know what to expect anymore.

* * *

 **"I see… in that case!"**

 **In a single moment, Neptune's entire demeanour changed. She swiftly got in front of the two, drawing her wooden sword and held it in front of her in an offensive stance. Her entire body was on alert, her eyes sharp and a confident grin formed on a face. "Let's go on and grind some easy XP while we're at it." She proclaimed boldly, her mood a surprising change to the male and female behind her.**

 **"Nep-Nep, what's up? You seem excited…" Compa asked, not sure how to take such a change, nor was she aware of how she could change mood so fast. Was she bipolar? 'What the heck is with this girl? I was right, she really does have no danger sense. That could indicate that she has some form of reckless battle style. Still, I must be cautious until I know enough about her to judge her fighting capability' Nico thought to himself.**

 **Glancing behind her with the turning of her head Nico and Compa saw an excited smile forming on Neptune's face as she clenched a fist in front of them. "Well, I am the heroine, right? So, I figured I gotta beat up some monsters." She explained, once again showing off her gaming logic. When in doubt rely on the logic of the game to save the day, was what she was getting at.**

 **Compa didn't know how to reply to that, but she did her best anyways, the brave girl. "I suppose so… but can you really fight?" It was understandable that she would ask that, Compa didn't have the observation skills that Nico possessed, neither was she a fighter by nature so she couldn't identify the stance that Neptune was using, one which indicated experience in battle. She was a lover, not a fighter. Even so, even Compa was aware of how bad it was bringing a wooden sword to a monster battle it was like bringing a knife to a gun fight.**

 **To respond to her concerns, and to show that they were unnecessary, Neptune gave her a thumb up. "Of course! With my trusty wooden sword (wood)" she rested her wooden sword onto her shoulder in a manner that lead most to believe that she wasn't on guard, though Nico wasn't fooled. "And skills with me! It'll be a piece of cake!" she boasted afterwards before turning her attention back to the Dogoo. During their conversation, the Dogoo had seen that it was outnumbered and thus had called upon reinforcements to help it, for now there were 30 Dogoos blocking their way.**

* * *

"Ahhh, the old groupie trick, how typical."

"Yup."

"Yessie."

"Indeed, Neptune."

* * *

 **'Ugh! Dogoo are like wolves, they are primarily a pack-based monster, so it makes sense that these guys are a pack…' he thought to himself while getting ready to fight. "Hey, no stealing kills, ya hear?" the male asked while jumping to Neptune's side. He pressed a space on his chest, and suddenly, the male was engulfed in a white cocoon of what looked like pure data.**

 **Both girls gasped at the sight, while the Dogoos all got on guard. They didn't know why, but their instincts just SCREAMED at them that they were in some deep shit right about now. When the cocoon vanished into individual streams of data, Nico stood there in his full armoured glory. His body was covered in black chainlink mail, from under his chin to the toes and feet of his hands. There were also brown armour plates on his body: the chest, the arm and legs. His hands were armoured gauntlets with the bracers merged into them, while his legs below the knee were armoured boots, and on his shoulders, were large shoulder guards, all these plates being orange in colour. On his face was a mask that was black on the right side and orange on the left, with a single eyehole that showed his left eye. The holsters he had before were on the same places as before, the armour having only pushed them back.**

* * *

"#WHISTLE# now THAT is some expensive looking gear. I wonder if Nicky can move fast though with that clunky armour..." Neptune wondered. There was a reason why Gamindustri girls didn't wear much armour, it felt too heavy and restrictive on their forms. Plus, they didn't like how it looked on them sometimes, a lot of them were just fanservice and that was it. Monster claws and fangs could shred through armour like paper mache.

IF looked the armour up and down. "From the looks of it, it seems that Nico has apparent battle experience with it, look at those scratches. That thing must have been with him for a long time now, so I bet he can use it just as well." she mused.

Histoire, meanwhile, began wondering if they could revolutionize the possibility of better Armour for their soldiers. So that they could be more useful in dire crisis.

* * *

 **"It's annoying when someone steals another person's kill and takes all the credit."**

 **His words were deeper and more menacing thanks to the Mask, but both girls blinked when they realised that Nico had spoken. A look of intense jealousy had formed in Neptune's eyes as she whined. "Aw, 'c'mon, the male OC of this fic has armour as cool as this? And from a Supervillain, too? No fair!" she stomped on the ground several times like a whiny kid, slightly irritating the male but it mostly amused him, though she couldn't see it thanks to the Mask.**

 **"Hey, I earned this Armour, and my Codename alright? In this armour, I'm known as DEATHSTROKE, and don't you forget it." He told her, before turning back to the enemy and raising his arms. Both gauntlets briefly glowed a purplish white colour at the wrist joints, before several streams of light burst out, lacking any solid form for a millisecond. Afterwards, they stabilised and hardened, lengthening till they were the same length as a human forearm from the hand to the elbow joint, forming a series of 5 purple Scythe blades in the form of energy claws.**

* * *

"Whoa, what the Nep!?" Neptune shouted the moment those Claws manifested. "Edgy guy has claws!"

"That's so like what Iffy uses aside from those sword things." Compa exclaimed, glancing at the Guild Agent who just stared at the Claws intently. Something about them just seemed different from her own, maybe the fact they seemed to be made from Purple energy like that of Purple Heart's power.

* * *

 **'My Plasma Claws, able to cut, burn and cauterize wounds more effectively than many weapons out there. Unfortunately, people found these to be too terrifying for use based on their appearance, so I have the only Prototype.' Nico thought as he eyed the Dogoos with a predatory gleam in his eye, his dual Plasma claws gleaming menacingly as he scraped them against each other, sparks flying off them and illuminating his Mask with their glow. A dark smirk was hidden from view, but it was there. "Now then, boys… lets show these ladies a good party, shall we?" Nico said with a sinister, almost demonic, undertone, his eye intently focusing its gaze upon the Dogoos, whom were now sweating profusely. They could feel the overwhelming KI radiating from Nico, who wanted to rip into them already.**

 **Compa watched the two fighters of the party and, feeling a sense of bravery envelop her senses, took a firm stance as well. "I'll help fight them too! A nurse's job is to protect people, you know! Just lemme get this out…" she said, trailing off as she pulled from out of nowhere her Syringe. She held it like it was a to handed assault rifle, ready to fight.**

 **Both Neptune and Nico shivered at the sight, one of them only voicing their complaints in their minds. 'By gods, I ever get used to that scary Syringe… even my weapons don't have the same effect as that…' Nico thought, sweat dropping at the weirdness of Copa's weapon, although he had seen it several times before already.**

 **Neptune however hadn't and thus… had a more verbal and physical reaction.**

 **"Ngh! C-Compa? What is that huge Syringe?! Wait! Where the hell did it come from?!" she cried out, flailing her arms about non-stop, almost hitting Nico with her sword. "Ooops, sorry-dorry, my bad Nicky!"**

 **Unaware as usual of the reason why Neptune was so panicky, Compa gave a sweet smile, which completely contrasted to te scary image she was projecting as she held the Syringe close to her chest. "This? Well, I use it to fight. Where did it come from? That's a Compa secret." She explained to them.**

 **'My brain knows what it is, but the 'how' and the 'why' can' be explained for some reason.' Nico thought to himself, his bloodlust momentarily forgotten. Neptune had said something like what he was thinking, judging by her befuddled expression mixed with a sense of disturbed realisation. "And you know how cliché it is carrying around a huge weapon, right?"**

 **"That's nitty-gritty info! Let's just beat the nasties and go on."**

 **That was a signal if he heard any. Nico and Neptune charged into battle, each taking 15 Dogoos each. While the male was worried that she would eventually suffer THAT, but Neptune seemed to be telling the truth when she said she was able to fight. Her moves looked like they were all brawn but no brain, and yet she seemed to fit that kind of style. He was also very nimble, able to dodge attacks and, combined with her strength that especially drew his attention, dish out just as much pain.**

 **His assessment over with, Nico turned his attention towards his own prey. His Plasma Claws crackled with energy as he charged forth, both weapons digging through the ground with their tips. "Like Ryan Reynolds-Sempai once said…" He swung at one Dogoo, the Plasma Claw tearing through the Dogoo's face and body like warm tofu, the creature vanishing from existence a second later. He swung his other claw downwards towards another, much faster than before as more Dogoos attacked him, only to meet the same end as the first. "… MAXIMUM EFFORT!"**

 **He spun and kicked a Dogoo that tried to hit him from behind, before jumping into the air to avoid a series of Dogoos trying to dogpile him. Spreading his arms aside, a magic circle appeared behind him, his eye gleaming with malice as he activated a Skill of his that he liked doing, "PHANTOM BLADES!" from the edges of the circle, dozens of large blades that looked almost transparent were fired like machinegun fire, impaling and destroying the Dogoos by the dozens.**

 **Skills were a major part of Gamindustri's fighting norms, if one didn't have skills then they were basically fucked when fighting larger monsters. There were battle skills, support skills, buff skills among many others. The more Skills one had the more likely they would be contracted to face some of the deadlier monsters in Gamindustri. It was also important to have a wide array of Skills to suit the situation, especially if one wanted to be a Spec-Ops Agent. Since they usually got the harder assignments unlike regular Agents, they needed large and varied Skillsets to come out on top.**

 **Landing after executing his skill, Nico turned to see that they had defeated most the Dogoos. The ground around them was covered in slime thanks to Neptune and Compa's weapons not burning and cauterising their wounds like his Phantom Claws did. In contrast, the ground around him was practically bare. This was why he liked plasma-based weapons, they dealt damage, kept the area clean, and made those who had healing factors take longer to heal thanks to the wounds being cauterized.**

 **The remaining Dogoos were focusing on Neptune and Compa, but he could see that they were holding their own, so he decided to wait and see what happens. Neptune made a battle cry as she slashed several times, and the Dogoo vanished into particles, fading from existence. Several more tried to jump onto her shoulders but Compa provided cover fire knocking them down for Neptune to stomp with her right foot.**

 **After several more kills, the Dogoos were exterminated.**

* * *

"That's the end of the chapter." IF commented, pausing the Projector. She then sighed as she gave a yawn, stretching her arms above her head. "Man, i'm beat... wow, it's already night time?" she gasped upon seeing how it was already dark out. the Stars twinkled in the night sky, illuminated by the moon.

"You two are more than welcome to stay in the guest rooms." Histoire suggested, smiling helpfully as she floated over to the two girls. "Nepgear should be returning in about 30 minutes, so if you'd like you could wait a bit longer to see her..."

"Well, I'm honestly tired, Histy, so can we just go to bed? We can chat with Ge-Ge in the morning. Maybe we can even add her to the story." Compa suggested, getting a thoughtful hum from the smaller woman.

"That would be great."

It wasn't long before the rest of them went to bed, eager to read the next chapter the following morning.

Whoever this author was, he had some skill on fanfiction.


	5. Chapter 5 - Reading Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I have a question.**

 **Do you want me to include Nico in this reading fanfic? If you do I can think of a few ways that he could be introduced to the main cast, and have him react to the fic with the others. Maybe the girls could care about him in a similar manner to the others, but I worry that I wouldn't be able to keep them in character. Let me know in the reviews.**

 **With that out of the way, let's get this next chapter a rollin'**

* * *

The next morning, a series of things happened.

One of them was that, thanks to Histoire bribing her, Neptune actually did some Quests without argument. The reason: she wanted to know what happens in the next chapter, so Histoire told her that they'd read it once she filled a quest quota.

While she was out there questing, her little sister Nepgear locked herself in her lab and began experimenting with her inventions... she'd be there for a while. (-_-).

For Compa and IF, those two left to do their daily work whilst promising that they'd be back to read more of the story.

Now, Neptune, Compa, IF and Histoire were sitting down on the sofa again, this time with a remote Histoire found for the projector.

"Alrightie, next chappy!" Compa cheered, getting similar cheers from the others save for IF, who just nodded with a slightly excited smirk. The last one did end on the end of a battle after all.

With that, the brunette pressed a button after Compa set everything up, the projection soon appearing before them as the chapter started.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **"Whew, that was some exercise…" Compa mused breathlessly while wiping her forehead with her forearm. She let loose a slow exhale as she calmed down from the rush that adrenaline born from a fight gave her, while Neptune herself was the exact opposite. She was bouncing up and down energetically like all their fighting was just a slight workout for her.**

* * *

"Hmph, yeppers, that's a me, Neptune the stamina queen!"

"Only when you get into something though, Nep. Remember the first time you went into a dungeon with me and Compa?"

"..."

* * *

 **Said preteen turned to face both Compa and Nico whose armour and claws were still active. It made him look a lot more dangerous and badass, and Neptune really liked this new look on him. "Wowee, Nicky who knew you had this kinda cool equip? you been holding out on littl' old me?" she asked him. "adopting the look of a well-known M*r*el supervillain, eh? What you a fan?" she asked him.**

 **Nico crossed his arms in front of his chest as he tilted his head at her. "Really? Your making old school jokes right now, Neptune? I bet people hardly even remember the comics you know, it's all about the internet now." He retorted, briefly remembering something and continuing before the purplette could respond. "But since you asked, this is my deployable armour. Its served me well, got me through some tough binds way back when and is self-regenerative, basically it can repair itself in case its damaged." He explained, looking down at his Armour fondly, one could tell by the look in his eye, considering how the Mask he wore covered the rest of his face.**

* * *

"So..." IF mused thoughtfully to herself. "That armour's portable, likely for travel purposes. It's so that he can deploy it at any time, and has those Claws for offensive purposes. It eliminates the need to properly put on each piece, and the self restorative nature will allow it to recover from damage it sustains, though I bet that there's a limit to how much it can take, or perhaps even a weak spot."

Histoire nodded in agreement with the brunette, but nevertheless she could see potential in such an armour. "Yes, that does appear to be the case." She remarked. Maybe she could have the research team for Planeptune's military see about making such an armour themselves. Planeptiune was the most advanced of the nations technology wise, so it should be possible to replicate this technology.

* * *

 **"Wooow, is this the armour that you told me about when you left?" Compa asked in awe, reaching forth and rubbing her hand on one of the shoulder plates. She remembered when Nico had left to become a Guild Agent, later becoming a Spec-Ops Agent, how he had been stoked about getting this new armour for battle. Armour wasn't used as commonly as one might think in a group of Mercenaries like the Guild, or even adventurers in general, because it slowed them down, wasn't comfortable or other reasons like that, stated by their users of course. It was a pleasant surprise to see something different for a change.**

 **Nodding to his friend, Nico smirked behind his Mask. "Yes, yes, it is Compa. Like I said, this baby's been with me for some time, she and I are practically siblings-in-arms at this point." He explained, before turning to Neptune and forming a look of approval in his eye as he spoke his evaluation of her skills. "Despite your lack of a proper weapon and rough movements, you did good out there, Neptune. Looks like your body remembers some form of combat skills." He complimented. The Mask split where the black and orange colours meet, the plates sliding to the sides of his head and revealing the small smirk on his face.**

 **Neptune grinned at him, throwing him a thumbs-up sign. "Yup, all in a day's work." She said, before jogging off. "C'mon guys, my hole's a waitin'!" she proclaimed as she got further ahead of them. "Hey, monster! #SLASH# there it goes. Okay, NOW we can move along, soldiers!" a monster had tried to jump Neptune from the side while she ran past some bushes, but she saw it and slashed it several times before it vanished out of existence. She had then turned to them and gave them a wave, standing on one foot and leaning sideways on it, looking kinda like a goof.**

* * *

Compa flushed at what she heard Neptune's other say, before she looked over to the purplette. "Um, Nep-Nep, do you...?"

"Huh?" Neptune questioned in confusion, not understanding why Compa was looking at her like that. "Whats up, Compa? Do I have something on my face?" she asked, rubbing her mouth with her sleeve. "Must be some snack I ate..."

* * *

 **Both teens shared a look with each other, silently having a stare down, but Nico was the first to speak. " That girl... she doesn't realise the implication of that last bit, does she?" he questioned, frowning. Compa only shook her head with a small blush on her cheeks, making him sigh. "We should follow her, so she doesn't wind up in a Nest of Dogoos. She seems like a rookie that would make that basic mistake." He told her before jumping after the energetic preteen.**

 **Compa watched the male get further and further away for a moment, before she smiled weakly and sweat dropped. "Well… I'm not sure falling into a nest of meanie Dogoos would be a rookie mistake…" she muttered, before she realised that the distance between her and the others was growing fast. Panic washed over her as Compa ran like her legs had never ran before to catch up. "Wait a minute, don't leave the healer behind you two!"**

* * *

Histoire groaned into her hand, which had met her face in an exasperated slap just minutes prior. 'Note to self, make sure to give Neptune 'the talk' soon...' she thought to herself.

* * *

 **The trio, after catching up with Neptune whom had, much to Nico's amusement, got caught inside a tree by jumping too far and too fast, travelled deeper into the dungeon. They fought various monsters, although they weren't as numerous as the Dogoos were the first time they had fought. Nico had seen more of Neptune's fighting style and compared it to that of a caveman, or woman in this case. It held a large amount of barbaric, reckless movements but somehow, she made them spin together in a way that worked for her. Her endurance seemed to compensate for her battle style as despite her petite frame she could take a lot of damage and give just as much. How much damage she could take was still in question, but Nico didn't want to find out.**

* * *

"That's... actually an accurate description of Nep's fighting style..." IF mused, slightly impressed. "Nep does often, as the wiki says: jump head first into any dangerous situation without consideration of the possible outcomes..." she added, ignoring the loud "HEY!" that came from said preteen.

She wasn't THAT bad, no nepping way! It was the players fault for making her grind so much!

Just look at the ones who get all the DLC and make her level 999!

* * *

 **But honestly, fighting these weaker monsters should have been boring for him, due to fighting so many more powerful ones in stronger, freakier dungeons. But Nico surprised himself when found it oddly calming with a side sense of nostalgia. Seeing those girls fight like they did, with Neptune in the front lines and Compa at the rear, reminded him of when he was a young rookie in the Guild. True he was still a teenager in a physical sense, but inside Nico felt older, much older with the experiences he had gone through, the feats he had under his belt. Also, it was calming that none of these monsters posed a threat to him, gave his nerves a chance to cool off from the constant onslaught that was warning him of any specific dangers.**

 **Finally, though, the trio reached the edge of the crater where they had found Neptune. The crater was still as large as Nico remembered it, but with the daytime being upon them he could see things that he didn't before. For example, there was a hole in the centre of the crater, its size and shape determining that was where Neptune had once resided. Cracks ran along from the hole to the surroundings, not being very long but they did set off warning bells inside Nico's head. 'Oh boy, I can tell that the direction this is going is bound to be, as a certain lazy ninja in a certain village says, troublesome…'**

* * *

"Hah! A reference to shounen anime!"

"Nobody cares, Nep!"

"I must admit though that the young man has a good point: it isn't uncommon for adventurers to take a break from harder quests by doing easier ones. It's a common strategy to amp up the Credit count." Histoire commented to herself, but only Compa heard.

* * *

 **Unaware of his thoughts, Compa stepped forwards to the edge of the crater, before spinning on her heels and turning to face them. She addressed Neptune though. "Here we are! This is where me and Ni-Ni found you, Nep-Nep." She said, pointing to the hole in the crater below. The cream haired girl hoped that this would spark some form of memory from the purplette, for both her and Nico's sakes. She knew that he would get frustrated easily if he didn't get the answers, or some form of answer, soon enough.**

 **Neptune took one look at the Crater and her eyes turned white, becoming round. "Whoa… that's a big hole right there…" she muttered, both in awe and in disbelief. In a sense, it shouldn't be that surprising, after all it was the norm to break the laws of space and time physics, just look at Nico and Compa. One carries a Syringe that can be used as an assault rifle, and the other has deployable Armour he can take off at any time. Yeah, PHYSICS is largely ignored…**

 **Moving forward.**

* * *

"Well..." Neptune chuckled shamelessly, grinning. "Logic's for losers anyways, just have fun and roll with it!"

"Nep..."

The preteen shuddered when dark auras overcame IF and Histoire, making her gulp at the possible punishment if she didn't stop there. Even if she liked making jokes, there was such a time when, in order to preserve her life, she would need to close her gob.

* * *

 **Compa turned to the resident nutter of the group, concern written over her face when she saw how intently Neptune had begun staring at the hole, it was as if she were trying to burn a hole through it. "Nep-Nep, does this make you remember anything...?" she asked her, letting her worries infect her tone and show through her eyes.**

 **Unfortunately, she didn't get an answer, which increased her concern as Neptune looked at the Crater intently. Silence passed by as she did so, with a silent breeze blowing past them. Through every second, Nico started to feel uncomfortable, his instincts told him something was wrong, and like a good warrior he listened to them, "um… Neptune, you alright? Don't tell me your memes and references have run dry…" he spoke, hoping that a jab at her personality traits would snap her out of this focus she was in.**

 **This time they got a reaction out of her. "Hmmm… she mumbled, her eyes narrowing sharply as her brows furrowed. Neptune went as far as to cup her chin like a detective deep in thought. 'Okay, 'NOW I'm getting worried.' Nico thought while sweat rolled down the sides of his forehead as he stared at the girl, 'normally Neptune wouldn't be thinking this hard, not from what I know about her. She usually is the one who hits first and asks questions later… kinda like a lot of people these days. If she's really thinking this hard I fear her brain might overheat.'**

* * *

"Heeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy..." Neptune growled, huffing and turning her head to the side and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I'm not THAT bad!"

"Well..."

"Oh, Nep on, Guys! I feel the love oozing from you!"

* * *

 **"Mmmmmmm….!" The mumbling got worse the more Neptune stared at the crater. She started shaking slightly with her eyes turning big, white with black outlines, a sign that frustration was beginning to build inside of her like lava in a volcano about to erupt. "Hey, uh, Neptune you okay? Your brain hasn't fried yet has it?" Nico asked worriedly, tilting his head with what he was feeling inside evident in his sole uncovered eye.**

 **Finally, after moments of agonising tension, the volcano known as Vol Nep erupted.**

 **Neptune made a frustrated sound as she held the sides of her head, digging her fingers into her scalp. "Ah-! I can't remember a thing!" she exclaimed in frustration, scratching her scalp while groaning in irritation. She was also bent over in front of them, so caught up in her problems that she didn't realize she was flashing them her panties, which were the same pattern as her stockings.**

* * *

"Nepu!" the preteen shrieked, covering her underwear with her hands and the bottom of her purple dress.

"Now that I think about it, Nep sometimes flashes her party members when she does her big attacks..." IF mused to herself thoughtfully.

"Iffy!"

* * *

 **Nico noticed though, but mentally he assured himself that there were more important things to do than to listen to any perverted tendencies. "Whoa their girl, hold your horses!" he said, quickly jogging over and placing a hand on her shoulder. Surprised by the sudden contact she was, to which she showed it when she looked up into his eyes, which were peering down at her with a gaze so intense it slightly made her flush in embarrassment. "You'll remember it in time, so don't force it. Amnesiacs who try to do that often suffer problems later down the line, so wait for a bit, you'll remember when you're ready." He told her, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.**

 **She was silent for a moment, taking in his words of encouragement. But that was shattered when she noticed that he was still holding her shoulder, and a teasing smirk formed on her face. "Hey, not bad. You put the smooth moves out there onto this pure maiden, are you trying to unlock my route? I'm not gonna make it easy on you flirtsman!" she said with a mischievous undertone.**

 **Her comments had the intended effect when the male went red, quickly withdrawing his hand from her shoulders as he stuttered, trying to deny what she said. 'Goddamnit, she knows my one weakness!' he exclaimed mentally in frustration and embarrassment. Nico may be a Spec-Ops agent, but to him he never felt that he was any good with the ladies, sure he was respectful and friendly towards them, even helped them when need be, but that was just him being a nice person. He didn't think any woman would have a slightest amount of interest in him, he just couldn't see it.**

* * *

"Oooooohhhhh, someone's the strong, silent type with a hidden shy side, eh?" you really don't need me to tell you who said that, right? Not with the mischevous feminine giggle that accompanied it? Thought so.

Compa sweat dropped when she saw her friend giggling like a crazy person. "Nep-Nep's really happy for some reason..."

"Ignore her, Compa. Don't want the disease spreading."

"Okie dokie!"

* * *

 **Seeing his reaction caused Neptune to burst into giggles, "Hehehehehe, aw that's so cute! The big strong male is embarrassed by a bunch of cute girls wanting the booty." She commented, riling him up even more. Even Compa had signs of a smile on her lips, though she tried to hide it. In the end, she may as well not have even tried since he saw it right away. 'Goddamnit, not you too, Compa!'**

 **"A-Anyways, let's get back on topic! We have a serious situation here!" Nico said, though it sounded more like a shout. He was thankful that his Mask and chainlink mail covered most his face, or they would have seen just how red he really was with those teasing comments. Their only indication had been the darkening of the skin around his eye that the Mask's eye showed. Taking a few calming breaths to get his composure back, Nico turned to Neptune and crossed his arms in front of his armoured chest. "Neptune, you think you might have dropped something? I mean, you were literally spearing the ground when we found you, and it was night so maybe something fell out and we didn't notice?" he suggested, cupping his chin halfway through his suggestion.**

 **Chuckling nervously, Neptune rubbed the back of her head when she replied awkwardly, "I wish, but you know, kinda have no memory here…" she remarked, reminding them of her amnesia. Nico mentally facepalmed, realising she had a point. 'That's right she has no memory of her life beyond waking up in Compa's room. Her fall must be the cause, landing face first in the ground is bound to damage one's head. It only makes sense that she forgets if she had valuables or not.' He thought to himself.**

 **A light gasp pulled Nico out of his thoughts as he looked up, seeing Neptune with a look of shock and realisation on her face. A surge of hope filled him as he inquired as to what had caused this action of hers. "What, what is it Neptune? Do you recall something?" he asked her. 'Finally, a possible lead to the truth!' he exclaimed mentally as an afterthought. Let it be known that Nico had an impatient side to him.**

 **"I-I do remember something I'm missing!" Neptune exclaimed in shock and slight amazement too. She had a big grin on her face with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. While Nico felt happy that she was remembering something, a part of him told the male to be prepared. 'I'm happy for her… so why am I getting a bad feeling from her?' he wondered in his mind but didn't voice it out loud.**

 **Perhaps if he did then the next moments may have happened differently.**

 **Compa, ever the oblivious yet excitable one, asked with eagerness. "Really? What is it?" with an excited gleam in her eyes. She was leaning forth, towards Neptune while awaiting what she was going to say next with baited breath. She didn't expect however, what would come out of Neptune's mouth at that moment.**

 **"Well, that's obvious…"**

 **"Obvious…?"**

 **"My memory!"**

* * *

Silence dominated them before everyone slowly turned their heads to Neptune with equal blank expressions.

"Really Nep-Nep/Nep/Neptune?"

All said CPU could do was laugh nervously.

* * *

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **BONK!**

 **"Nepu!" Neptune clutched her head as she bent down, curled into a standing ball with a comical bump on her head that was as large as the fist that Nico had used on her. It seemed to be glowing red one second, then stopped the next before repeating the cycle while Nico's fist was steaming.**

 **The male's expression showed his irritation with the girl before him, as he shook his fist with a tick mark on his forehead. "Neptune this is no time for jokes!" he yelled angrily, scolding her like a parent would their child when they did something naughty and they needed to be lectured about it. "This is a real serious situation here."**

 **Compa nodded her head in agreement with her friend. "He's right Nep-Nep… jokes aren't really effective in this type of scenario…" she said while taking a few pauses between her sentence as she gave Neptune a deadpan stare. Normally it would be humiliating for someone to get that stare, but somehow Compa made it even worse just by doing nothing.**

 **With slight tears in the corners of her eyes, Neptune looked up at them while nursing the bump on her head, which comically was pulsating still. "You mean it wasn't funny? I'm sorry, I just thought you guys were joking when you asked if I remembered anything!" she protested, though she didn't get much leeway with the combined stares that Nico and Compa were giving her, much to her embarrassment.**

* * *

"I'll be blunt, Nep: you deserved that one."

"Ugh... so cold, Iffy! You struck a critical strike on my weak, vulnerable heart."

"Um... Histy? Do the CPUs and Nep-Nep have hearts like humans do?"

"Wha?! Why'd you single me out there, Compa?!"

* * *

 **This lasted for a few more seconds before Compa shook her head, deciding to get back to the situation at hand. "Joking aside, let's look for some clues." She suggested, getting nods of agreement from the other two as Neptune stood up once more, the bump fading back into her head as if it were never there in the first place. She was back to her normal self soon too, much to Nico's surprise. He guessed the girl's durability was better than he had given her credit for.**

 **With that commotion aside, the trio began to search for any clues as to Neptune's identity. Nico remained weary though when he had analysed the stability of the ground with his right Bracer, which told him that the ground was prone to collapse at any second with the weight of 3 people on them. Hell, he once thought that with how much Neptune would eat she would weigh much more than she was showing. He knew this judging from how much pudding she ate back at Compa's house. She likely was a food-person, though he wondered if she would go obese if she did eat so much.**

 **Fortunately, none of these thoughts left his mouth. He didn't wanna get killed just yet.**

 **To him: one can get along fine with girls if he stuck to these rules:**

 **Make sure you treat them with the respect they deserve, which meant no peeping on them in the shower or trying to look up their skirts. A lot of male pervs did that and they got punched for it.**

 **If a woman was feeling down and depressed, helping her through it or even just talking to her will get you on their good books.**

 **NEVER, not even under the dire of circumstances, EVER comment on their chests or weight if you didn't want to be crucified alive. Seriously he had seen that one happens before…**

 **Women were scary… if you pissed them off, that is.**

* * *

IF nodded her head, grinning evilly as she sharpened her Qatars in a threatening manner. "Well, at least he knows what not to say if he doesn't want his manhood skinned..." she commented, chuckling.

Neptune, Compa and Histoire eyed her with a new level of wariness.

* * *

 **While he was thinking of this, Nico became broken from his thoughts when he suddenly heard cracking. 'Huh? What was… uh oh, this is not good!' his eyes widened in horror and dread when he realised what that sound signalled as he glanced at his Bracer, which had the hologram of a screen with a massive exclamation mark on it, beeping constantly as a warning. He needed to get outta here and fast.**

* * *

"Uh oh..." Neptune began, realising what was going to happen next. "I kinda forgot about this part..."

Compa nodded in agreement while IF and Histoire frowned. That sound didn't sound (see the pun?) too friendly.

They'd soon realize just how right they were.

* * *

 **"What was that just now?" his head snapped to the others, shit he forgot, Compa and Neptune! Both girls were looking around, unaware of what the danger was as cracks formed on the ground. 'Oh shit, shit, shit! If I don't do something those girls will be goners!' he screamed in his mind. A small flashback was triggered in his mind, not any particular scene, but a shadowy figure that he recognised as a senior Guild Agent, saying: 'The top 3 priorities of a spec ops are as follows, kid: 3, protect the interests of the government. 2, make sure the city is safe from any threat against its walls. And number 1, most important: PROTECT the civilians whenever you can!'**

 **As the male recalled this, his choice was made clear.**

* * *

"Oh boy..." IF groaned, planting her hand in front of her face. "Looks like the guy's going to be as reckless as Nep here."

"... I'd normally counter that with a trap card, but I kinda feel ya on this one, Iffy." Neptune reluctantly admitted. "and hey! we'd be okay from a fall like that, no seeing us as bystanders, buster!"

Histoire sighed again, drawing their attention. "Neptune, think of it this way: Nico doesn't know you for what you really are, and he's got his childhood friend here. He has grounds for being cautious about your safety, and also he's doing his duty as a Spec Ops Agent." She for one, couldn't help but be impressed by the guy's diligence. If only someone like him were in their universe, then maybe he'd be put to good use for the Nations.

* * *

 **"Ouch, ouch-ouch… my bum is protesting to this recent abuse its suffered…" Neptune moaned in discomfort, sitting on her backside which had screamed in protest. While her eyes were closed with a grimace on her features, Neptune tried soothing the pain by rubbing her hand on it.**

 **Several seconds later the pain dulled down enough so that she wouldn't be as uncomfortable. Neptune then opened her eyes and looked around, noticing a peculiarity about her surroundings. "Huh? I'm in… the forest still?" she muttered in confusion. She didn't know what had happened, as it all went down so quickly, but the last thing she could recall as a large… appendage grabbing her and flinging her into the air. The faint screams of surprise from Compa's lips were another thing she recalled-**

 **Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she recalled the other person she was with. "oh crud, Compa! Compa, are you okay? Can you hear me? Respond to the sound of my voice!" she called to the surroundings, hoping that her friend was okay. It'd be really sucky for her, the main protagonist of the Neptunia franchise, to lose her first friend ever.**

* * *

"Yessie." Compa stated, arms crossed and nodding her head exaggeratedly. "That would likely make you lose a lot of your fanbase, Nep-Nep."

* * *

 **"I-I'm okay, Nep-Nep!" Compa's voice came back to her much to the relief of the purplette. It sounded like she was close too, which meant she should be within eyesight. "Can you tell me where you are? I'm gonna get to you, so don't worry! This Nep is on the job!" she proclaimed, quickly pulling out a magnifying glass from… somewhere, and got onto all fours, moving along as she pressed the magnifying glass to her eye.**

 **"Nep-Nep, I'm up here!"**

 **An exasperated tone entered Compa's voice, one that Neptune responded by looking up. Her eyes became big and white when she saw where Compa was though, and she couldn't help but comment. "Eek! Compa, what are you doing at a time like this?! This isn't the time to be stretching awkwardly!"**

 **Indeed, Compa had somehow found herself amid a series of tree branches, and her position was very… suggestive. Her arms were trapped on a branch above her head with the same happening to her feet, only the trapping branch was behind her making her look like a stretched out 'C'.**

 **Not a very nice position to be in for a long period of time.**

* * *

"I'll say." IF remarked in agreement, wincing. "That looked like it hurts."

"Yeah, and it'd be even worse if some random creeper got a look up Compa's skirt!" Neptune shouted, causing the said girl to go 'eep' and cover her underwear with her skirt.

* * *

 **Apparently Compa felt the same way, "I-it's not like I wanted to! Please, help me get down! I can't reach my syringe like this, so I'm stuck!" she cried, her face beet red at the situation she found herself in. like Neptune, she too had no idea how she had gotten into this position, but it was not like she liked it! She didn't want the wind to flutter her skirt and show her undies! That would be really embarrassing even if they were both girls!**

 **After Neptune managed to get herself to her feet, she quickly climbed up the tree with all four limbs, though it proved to be a struggle,. "Ugh, guh, gosh darnit, I can't get up this way!" she whined in defeat, pouting as she dropped down to the ground. Tree climbing was a skill she had yet to master it seemed. That may have to change if this had to happen again, she decided.**

 **"Um, any time now Nep-Nep…!" Compa called out when she saw Neptune doing nothing but standing there in a thinking pose. This position was quickly getting uncomfortable and was starting to hurt right now. She shuffled about, trying to numb the pain her body was starting to experience from this position, but it wasn't like she could do much.**

 **Fortunately, she didn't have to endure it much longer because Neptune had gotten an idea. A figurative lightbulb went off in her head as she snapped her fingers that were once on her chin, "I got it! Hold on Compa, I'mma comin'!" she called out as she readied her wooden sword. She got into a stance that indicated she was going to use a Skill, one that she had just learned from one of their battles in this Dungeon.**

 **Before Compa could ask what, she was planning on doing, Neptune struck fast:**

 **"CROSS COMBINATION!"**

 **The girl made a mighty dash forwards, planting her feet onto the ground to propel herself into the air. Usually the skill involved her flying to her enemy and giving them a slashing bashin', but with this situation she had to tweak the skill a bit, so that she could cut both the branches that Compa was trapped by. "Hyaaaa!" she unleashed a battle cry as she unleashed her skill, slicing the branches restraining her friend to bits.**

 **Her skill ended with a success, as Compa was now freed… freed to fall to the ground below though. 'Oopsies, my bad…' was all Neptune could think as the cream haired girl could only squeal in fright, flailing her arms and legs until she hit the ground backside first, moaning in pain at the impact. Landing beside her right on her feet, Neptune walked on over and played it off as if it didn't mean anything. "Whassup, Compa? You okay? You're not being stretched, anymore right?"**

* * *

Compa aimed a glare towards Neptune, who shuddered when she felt the KI behind it. "Why didn't you catch me, Nep-Nep?"

"Um... other me?"

"No excuses!"

"I-I'm sorry, I bet my other thought you'd be okay since it was just from a tree! Not like that large fall I got in the first and third games!"

* * *

 **"Ooouchie… that really hurt my poor girl booty…" Compa moaned, feeling aches in the joints in her arms and legs. "I-I'm okay, Nep-Nep… still though, could you have gotten me down any easier?" she asked her friend while getting to her feet. Remembering some of the skills that had been taught to her at Nursing school, Compa pressed her hand to her leg joints, a faint green light appearing around both her hand and the injury. She pulled it away moments later, finding that the pain was gone, before moving on to the other owwies.**

 **The preteen had the decency to look embarrassed as she laughed lightly while rubbing the back of her head. "Hehe, sorry, sorry Compa. I just couldn't think of any way to get you down other than just 'cutting loose'…" she said, grinning at the 'clever' pun in her eyes. However, when she saw the deadpanned look from her friend, the girl gave a sigh of dismay, "… too soon?"**

* * *

"Too soon." everyone minus Neptune commented together dully and with blank eyes.

* * *

 **"Too soon. Anyways," Compa decided to change the subject when she had finished healing her wounds. She gave Neptune a confused look as she pondered on how they got into this situation. "What just happened before? One minute we were standing where me and Ni-Ni found you, and then we were…" her eyes widened as she trailed off, not finishing her sentence as she realised that they were short one member.**

 **Their single male member.**

 **Blinking owlishly, Neptune at first didn't get what she was taking about, but then her mind clicked and came to the same conclusion as she did. "Nepu! Compa your right on target, our Nicky isn't here! What happened to him, did he get hurt?" she exclaimed in worry. She then gasped as, in a rare show of intelligence, her mind placed the pieces together. "Oh snap, Nicky must have heard the cracks on the ground we did and got us to safety, but not before failing to save himself from the fall!"**

 **Compa became pale at the thought. Horrible scenarios of her friend being trapped in wherever that collapsed hole lead to filled her mind as she quickly made to head out in search of an alternate entrance. "Oh no! Nep-Nep, we should hurry! Ni-Ni must have fallen to wherever he is now. He could be hurt for all we know!" she exclaimed in dread and fear. She didn't want to think what would happen if Nico were hurt right now, especially if he had gotten hurt keeping them safe. The guilt would be horrible on her, and since he was a cherished friend of hers it would be even worse.**

 **"You betcha, Compa! Let's go find another way to wherever that hole in the ground leads, I'm not gonna allow a party member, even if he's a guy, to get a bad end this early in the story."**

 **"Huh? You said something in the middle there, Nep-Nep…"**

 **"Oh, it's nothing, don't trouble yourself, Compa."**

 **"Hmmm…. Okie dokie."**

* * *

IF sweat dropped at that last bit. "You're really gullible, arent you, Compa...?"

The mentioned girl could only laugh nervously, not unlike how Neptune had done earlier. Though, she did spare a glare in Neptune's direction for her other's comments, which made her shudder.

Looked like Compa was the first to really get into the story like this, huh?

* * *

 **Meanwhile, as he had managed to get the girls out of harm's way, Nico unfortunately was left to fall down the large hole in the crater alone. The male cursed as he fell down a large chute, chunks of rubble falling around him that were likely once part of the ground above. 'Tch, fucking shit! I hope to goddesses nobody saw what I just did. It was an impulse, but I had to use THAT to get them outta there in time!' he cursed in his mind while looking from side to side to find a way to slow his fall. At the rate he was going, Nico wasn't sure that his armour would be able to protect him from every bit of the impact.**

 **WARNING!**

 **LOSS OF CENTRE OF BALANCE DETECTED**

 **FREEFALLING TOWARDS HAZARDOUS AREA**

 **FREEFALL SPEED: CRITICAL**

 **ESTIMATED TIME TILL LANDING: 4.67 SECONDS.**

 **A Message appeared at the side of his vision, born from his Bracer's HUD, Heads Up Display, which was another function his Bracer had. It showed him that he didn't have long before landing, so he had to make sure that he had a measure of slowing himself down. He glanced around, and saw a large piece of rubble, which sparked an idea inside his brain. It was a longshot, and Nico expected a significant decrease in his combat capabilities if he pulled this off, but it was either that or instant death. And he wasn't quite ready to die just yet, so option A was quite appealing currently.**

 **With that in mind, Nico twisted his body so that he faced the rubble piece. He then raised his legs and planted them onto the rubble piece, launching himself from it to the side of the chute, where he deployed his right Plasma Claw before stabbing it into the earthen wall. The weapon grinded away at the wall, leaving a series of glowing claw marks going down it. Sparks flew from the weapon as he shoved both feet into the wall to help slow his descent even further while he looked down, eyeing the approaching exit from the Chute. All the while his HUD displayed error messages about his descent.**

 **Finally, Nico reached the end, his form falling out the bottom of the chute to a platform below. He quickly adjusted himself for a landing, his Plasma Claw dragging itself out the side of the chute when he passed its exit. Flipping forwards several times, the male landed on the platform in a crouching position, his left hand on the ground with his Plasma claw flared to the side.**

* * *

Now THAT caused surprised reactions for the rest of the girls.

"#Whistle# now THAT's some serious acrobatics..." Neptune whispered with an impressed tone. Maybe she could try that sometime.

IF nodded in agreement, though she got the impression he woould have to watch Neptune VERY closely for the foreseeable future.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!" Compa exclaimed in awe, eyes twinkling at the sight she saw. "That was amazing!"

"Whoa, Compa's already falling under his spell?! Noooooo! Compa, don't be fooled!" Neptune shrieked, flailing her arms up and down. You'll get dragged into the harem!"

She didn't respond, much to Neptune's horror.

* * *

 **Like an animal, Nico's eyes darted about, inspecting the terrain around him for any signs of hostile entities. Whenever one enters an unfamiliar terrain it was usually considered a good idea to keep tabs on your surroundings, which was what Nico did every time this happened to him. And by goddesses, this did happen a lot on his many adventures doing quests as a Spec-Ops Agent.**

 **Seconds later the male breathed a sigh of relief seeing that he was alone. His senses picked up monsters, but they were in the far distance considering how faint their scents were. While there were monster scents lingering everywhere, Nico had learned how to narrow his senses to spot their source from a fair distance. His Bracer then activated, displaying a hologram in the form of an orb structure, lighter blue coloured pulses continuously expanding from its centre. This was his Radar function, which activated whenever he didn't have a holographic map of a Dungeon in its database. It tracked enemies down by motion sensors, which made it good for keeping aware of threats when his Holomap was useless.**

 **Always good to have a failsafe.**

* * *

"Oh yeah, I can SO agree with that, it's not even funny." IF groaned, remembering all the times when her equipment shorted out on her in the middle of a job. THAT had been an eye opener for her, and it nearly got her killed on more than one occasion... or worse, violated by a bunch of dogoos.

Not a fun experience.

There was a reason why she had so many phones, you know.

Histoire looked at her with sympathy and understanding, knowing that the Guild Agent had a bad history with some of the monsters that plagued Gamindustri.

* * *

 **Standing upright, Nico deactivated his Plasma Claw, a faint 'TSSSH' sound being heard as the weapon disappeared. Looking around he decided to evaluate his surroundings. The male seemed to be in some sort of cave, though it wasn't one he recalled being in before. It was like several other Dungeons he'd been in with the layout, the glowing blue crystals dotted about to illuminate the Dungeon, and the futuristic platforms built likely by hand, but if his Holomap was useless then he had to be wary. While a lot of Dungeons had similar layouts, it was wrong to suspect them of being the exact same. Many rookie Guild Agents made this mistake, and that usually costed them greatly.**

 **'What the heck is this place? Its layout looks like previous dungeon's I've visited, but if my Holomap has no blueprint for its database, then I'm almost walking blind while I search for an exit.' He thought, panic beginning to settle in. however, Nico took a few deep breaths and punched himself in the chest, forcing himself to calm down. 'Alright, calm down dude, take deep breaths. You aren't cardless, you still have tricks to play for this situation. First thing to do is activate your Left Bracer, have it scan the Dungeon's layout to get an idea of where the Exit is. Using it on your right one will disable its other functions, which would be unwise in this situation.'**

 **With one final breath, Nico raised his left Bracer and began pressing several holographic keys on it. The screen on the Bracer flared brightly for a moment, before it died down to show a single bar that was slowly being filled, the amount of it being filled being displayed as a percentage beside it. 1%, 2%, 3%... that was how it went. 'Now that I'm scanning the Dungeon, I should probably look around for the Monsters, get an idea of their power levels so I can send a field report to the Guild. If they send Agents here they must be of a sufficient level, under levelled Agents would only get themselves killed if this was a high-level Dungeon.'**

* * *

"Wow, the seriousness is killing me..." Neptune whined, only to get a bonk on the head from Compa. "Ouchies!"

Compa however, would have none of it. "Nep-Nep, behave. Serious moments aren't bad, you know! I happen to like serious moments." she told the preteen CPU.

IF and Histoire meanwhile, couldn't help but appreciate the realistic professionalism being shown this chapter. They could only wish the developers for the franchise to do something like this in the future.

* * *

 **Adopting a professional demeanour did wonders in calming his nerves. He felt like he knew what to do and how to do it, which was a big help in situations like these. Nico had experienced being trapped in surprise dungeons several times before, and the first time he had, well… Nico didn't want to remember it because it was embarrassing, so he'll stop thinking about that and pushed those memories to the back of his mind, never to be thought of again.**

 **Hopefully. Nico noted never to bring it up with Neptune around. Girl was a trouble magnet.**

* * *

"So true..."

"Iffy, I feel so much love from you right now..."

* * *

 **Though most of the time he found Neptune's antics amusing, especially when the situation was appropriate. Though if he was on a short fuse when they didn't get any questions answered like earlier, then it could become annoying. Nevertheless, from what he could tell that girl just didn't have it in her to be evil, it was like she just was a curious child wanting to know everything around her. While he still had his doubts about her past, getting to know her current self wasn't that bad.**

 **She was literally a ball of excitable energy on a sugar rush, the way she always spoke with enthusiasm and innocent wonder. Thinking back on it, Nico wondered if he was simply being too paranoid about her, as so far, she seemed to have a remarkable set of qualities that were alike with Compa's. both were cheerful, naive in a sense, possessed a hero's complex and an intense desire to help others when in danger. Also, they had a powerful innocence about them that made them all the purer. Together, they complement each other's antics and make some humorous situations. It was seriously hard for him to imagine why someone would hate Neptune, and let's not get him started on Compa.**

 **Seriously, anyone who disliked Compa was an asshole no questions asked.**

* * *

"Okay, I can agree with that..." Neptune commented, nodding her head in agreement. Though she didn't show it, she couldn't help but feel well... a teeny tiny bit flattered by his thoughts about her.

IF nodded, sharing those sentiments. Anyone who knew the Nurse would think the same thing.

* * *

 **Shaking his head, Nico pushed those thoughts away just as a beeping noise came from his left Bracer. Bringing it to his face, he saw that the Bracer had finished scanning the Dungeon he was in and had downloaded it to his Holomap on his right Bracer. A small smirk formed on his lips. 'Good, now I have a means of getting out of here and regrouping with the girls. Compa will likely be worried sick about me, while Neptune stays the positive member of our little trio. She does seem like the comedy of our group.'**

 **Neptune aside, Nico began his trek through the Dungeon after looking through the Holomap on his right Bracer, using the left for his Motion tracker. But before he could get far Nico gasped when he nearly tripped on something. "Whoa, whoa, whoaaaa!" he exclaimed, flailing his arms as he hopped several times, trying to retain his balance. He succeeded in his attempt, planting both feet on the ground, electing a sigh of relief from the male. "Whew, that was a close one. good thing nobody saw that otherwise it could have been much worse…" he shuddered at the thought of the humiliation if someone like Neptune saw what just happened. She would have never let him hear the end of it if she saw that he had almost fell over like a certain klutz he knew.**

* * *

"...pft, hahahahahahahahaha!"

"Looks like Nico was right, she'll never let him live THAT down."

"Yessie."

* * *

 **Though, it begged the question of what he had managed to trip on.**

 **Turning around, Nico looked down to the ground to see what had nearly caused him to fall and act like his friend did. he kneeled onto one knee peering downwards. His eye widened in surprise at what he saw, as it baffled him on what it was. 'This… what the hell…?' a faint red glow could be seen from what looked like part of a crystal, so Nico deployed a Plasma Claw and cut the pieces of earth away to let him get a better look at the object.**

 **When he had sufficiently chipped away enough, Nico was greeted to the sight of a crystal, its colours and aura constantly shifting so it had no definite colour, lazily laying down in the earth like a businessman on the beach for vacation. His eyes were drawn to it, unable to look away as he gazed at it, almost reverently as his thoughts ran wild. 'Whoa… this thing, whatever it is… its actually kinda cool… it looks like the button on a Console actually.' He thought as he reached out and plucked it from the confines that once restricted it.**

 **The moment he picked it up, the aura around the crystal swayed slightly, flickering as if responding to the fact that it was being touched, likely for the first time in ages considering how much dirt there was on the crystal. Raising it to his face, Nico looked closer at the crystal, checking to see if he could find out what this thing really was. The shape of the crystal reminded him an awful lot of the CPUs of Gamindustri, who had power button symbols in their eyes instead of pupils. He knew this because of the depictions made by the more… fanatical, of the Basilicom workers.**

* * *

"Hey, doesn't that look like a Share crystal from the Megadimension?" Compa questioned thoughtfully, frowning in thought about the mystery item that Nico just picked up. She didn't understand why, but just the sight of that crystal was enough to unnerve her, and this was just a story!

Histoire hummed in thought. "Now that you mention it, it does bare a strong resemblance, but look at the line part..." she mutterd, pausing the projection screen and zooming in on the crystal. More specifically the line part in the centre. "It looks almost like... a cat's eye, a slitted eye." she remarked, her concern growing by the second.

Whatever it was, that was NO Share Crystal.

* * *

 **His armour began to scan the Crystal, and unlike a Dungeon this process was significantly quicker. However, that proved to be useless as there was barely anything his armour could get out of it, scans didn't know what to make of this crystal. The material it was made of registered as an unknown, while there were unusual energy readings coming from it. His eyes narrowed at the crystal, his mind breaking free from staring at the 'beauty' that it had as he pondered what to do with it. 'Whatever this is, it'd be best if I take this to the WDD, they have a sub division focused on researching if I recall correctly, they can look at whatever this is.' He thought, making to pocket the crystal.**

 **However, that was stopped when the crystal's glow began to increase in intensity. A series of warning alarms blared from both Bracers, making Nico jump in alarm, his hand releasing the Crystal. 'Whoa, what the fuck?! What's happening these energy readings are off the scale!' he screamed mentally, seeing the readings both Bracers presented him. Looking up at the crystal, the last thing he saw was it shooting towards him like a bullet before he knew only darkness.**

* * *

"Wait, what? No fair, that's the end of the chapter!" Neptune whined when they saw the projection fade to black. things were just getting exciting and it just ends like that?! No fair, so mean!

Compa pouted, just as dismayed as her preteen friend. "Yessie, this is a meanie cliffhanger..." she said, trailing off at the end as Histoire paused the projection. She looked at the clock nearby, and saw they still had loads of time left before they would have head to bed again (Histoire allowing them to stay in the Basilicom for the duration of this story) so she turned around and decided to ask the girls their thoughts. "So, what do you all think so far? I think this is a fun read, myself." Let it be said that she reread the previous chapters like a dozen of times during lunch break today, not talking even once to her colleagues which they found pretty hilarious.

"I think its something interesting, at least." IF replied after a second's worth of thinking. "Its honestly not what I expected, I half expected Nep to be right and this be an easy retelling of the Neptunia rebirth series, but so far it's got interesting lore, the action seems to have the potential to be quite decent, and it's much more engaging than I gave it credit for. Props to the Author, so far he's made a good fanfic."

Histoire then gave her two cents after setting the remote onto her lap. "What I like about this is the slightly more intense take on our adventures." she explained, being the possessor of Gamindustri's knowledge, she had access to every Fanfiction ever made, so she knew how most of them didn't do some of the things that this one was doing. OEG seems to have the potential of making things really intense really quickly. She wouldn't admit it, but she wants to get to the next chapter.

So, that's what she did as she prepared the next chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter end!**

 **Whelp, here's the next chap!**

 **I know that my humor isn't the best, so please bear with me and tell me what you think in the reviews. I just hope people like this.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Reading Chapter 5

**Next chapter, guys!**

 **Now, i'm still thinking about that Nico thing, so keep letting me know your thoughts. I greatly appreciate your opinions.**

 **So far though:**

 **Twilightiger1602 - Personally, I think it would be best if you leave Nico out of this one. While it would be kind of hilarious for an OC to turn out to be an actual person (at least in this readings canon), but it would also be far to convoluted, even for this series, and break the flow entirely. Also, don't worry about your humor, it's fine as it is. Seeing the girls antics always puts a smile on my face (Even if your writing can be a little too wordy at times), and I was definitely laughing out loud at some of the reactions they gave to your fic... And just putting this out there, they are all definitely not going to like what they see next...**

 **Response: Yeah, they DEFINITELY won't like the next chapter, that much is true. Also, thanks for the opinion.**

 **Ant - Nah it would feel cringey or awkward**

 **Response: Ok.**

 **The Nexus Warrior - Please dont put your OC in the reading. It will ruin the flow of the story.**

 **Response: your review has been acknowledged, good sir. :)**

 **Now then, on with the Story.**

* * *

Now, they were on the fifth chapter of this interesting Story, and before they could begin watching/reading it, Neptune decided to pop a question. "Say, what do you guys think this next chapter might be about?"

"I hope it picks up where the last one left off. That was a meanie cliffhanger..." Compa replied sullenly, remembering what happened with Nico and the Crystal. She hoped he was alright and not suffering from any illnesses. 'Huh... strange, why does my chest feel tighter than it usually does whenever I put a bra on and it's too small for my boobies?' she wondered, confused. It had been this way since the last couple chapters, and she had no idea why. This hadn't happened to her before, so she didn't know how to bring it up with her friends.

IF went next. "In all honesty, I just wanna read the chapter, this thing's seriously getting addictive." she commented. What she didn't say was that she'd been tempted more than once to binge the entire story in her free time, it was just THAT entertaining. One time she had been thinking about it while walking to a Gy for some exercise, and nearly got into an accident because of it.

Finally, it was Histoire's turn, and she looked thoughtful for the longest time. "Hmmm... if I am to be honest, I would like to see what that Crystal was, as it seemed to remarkably be similar to a Share Crystal." she replied, though in her mind she also wondered what her counterpart would be like in accordance to this new addition to their story. Would she react positively? Negatively? She didn't know. Only time would tell...

That, or the next chapter which Neptune pressed play to start it.

* * *

 **Chapter 5 - Screaming like a Banshee**

* * *

"Well..." IF's eyes narrowed in thought as she stared at the chapter's title. "That's an ominous sounding title..." she remarked to herself.

"Oh yeah!" Neptune shouted, getting their attention as she continued without pause. "This must be the time when I'm all awesome and activate my HDD powers! Yaaaayyyy, I get to be cool in this chapter, cause I'M the protag of Protags!" she proclaimed, laughing while her hands rested on her hips.

"Nep-Nep... you seem very hyper for some reason..." Compa commented, but was ignored much to her dismay.

* * *

 **In another part of the cave, there was an entrance to the outside world, one that was located on another path through the Virtua forest. This entrance, was the one that Neptune and Compa had found after some backtracking and a lot of searching through the wilderness. It showed through more on Neptune than Compa though, as she looked to be in a state of exhaustion, slightly swaying from side to side as she walked.**

 **"#huff# #huff#… Never… I'm never going through so many bushes again…" she muttered in fatigue, looking down as she raised her hands to her face. They looked to have seen better days, with scratches made from passing branches, dirt from searching through muddy areas, hell there were even several leaves sticking out. And let's not forget that this extended over to her attire and the rest of her body by the way, her hoodie dress had several tears down the arms and waist, with leaves sticking out of her hoodie. Neptune had obviously had better days than this.**

* * *

"Nepu! What happened to me?!" Neptune shrieked when she saw how bad a shape she looked. Her eyes were literally those white circles seen throughout the games. "I look like I went for a dumpster dive!"

Compa rolled her eyes at the dramatic tones in her bestie's voice, but nonetheless smiled innocently as she answered her. "I'm sure the story will tell us, Nep-Nep. Just be patient.

* * *

 **Looking over her, Compa could only smile weakly as she remembered Neptune's 'mad search routine' through their search for another entrance to the Cave-like Dungeon. "Nep-Nep, you have only yourself to blame, your search places were, sometimes, pretty insane…" she commented. She had searched through, trees, mud puddles, bushes, even looked down a pair of rocks to see if there was a 'hidden lever' in Neptune's words.**

* * *

"... Oh. Though, in defense of the accused, I plead the truth of the fact that devs put levers in weird places! Just look at any platformer!"

* * *

 **In response to Compa's comment, Neptune turned her head to look at her, a pouty expression on her features as she made to defend herself. "B-B-But Compa, you never know! Developers can put levers in some pretty weird and insane places to throw the player off their grove." … By utilising a mix of gaming and fourth-wall breaking logic. Don't judge, it was her fall back for any sticky situation she found herself in.**

 **Compa's weak smile steadily got weaker. "Anywho," Neptune began as she decided to change the subject before things got any worse for her, and her near non-existent sense of shame. Looking around at the Dungeon, Neptune adopted a confused expression as she asked her friend. "You know where we are? I mean, you're the one of us that has her memories, so…" she ended off. It was true, sad but true nonetheless, that she was the only one of them who still had her memories as Neptune didn't, so it was only natural for her to assume that Compa had an idea of where they were.**

* * *

Histoire hummed in thought, her interest piqued immensely by this development. "So... thanks to young Nico's actions, you two..." she paused, gesturing to Compa and Neptune. "Found a hidden cave entrance to the Monster Cave Dungeon to find and rescue him. That is indeed different from the games."

"I'll say." IF commented, nodding in agreement as she too thought about the changes in the events of the games. Though, that chapter title still weighed heavily on her mind. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. 'Why do I get the feeling that this would b a perfect scene for a horror flick?' she wondered.

oh, how little she knew.

* * *

 **However, that proved to be a negative as Compa shook her head, placing a hand on her chin as she looked around, trying to figure out what exactly this place was. "I don't really know, Nep-Nep. I haven't seen this dungeon before. I never really went out on quests involving these kinds of scenarios, just stuck to the ones that involved healing sick and injured." She explained, before looking up at the ceiling and furrowing her brows. "Although, if I were to guess I'd say this Dungeon was located underneath the Virtua Forest. It feels like so, anyways…"**

 **Her answer made Neptune hum in thought as she pondered this new information. In her mind, this was like one of those secret corners in videogames where the player can find secret treasures that'll make the MC totally broken later. "Huh… that DOES feel like what this is… but the 'how' in that eludes me, it does." She mused to herself, once again spouting references.**

 **"Oh yeah, Ni-Ni did tell me once," Compa gasped suddenly, her eyes widening as she remembered something, getting Neptune's attention after she practically jumped at the loud tone Compa had used. It was only made louder thanks to the soundwaves reflecting off the Cave, creating a repetitive echo. It vanished after a few moments, but its effect had maintained. "When a new Dungeon is discovered the most important thing is to locate any monsters within the Dungeon and evaluate them, get an idea of their strengths. You don't know what to expect when in situations like this."**

 **It was always important to know the lay of the land, to know what your enemies were so that you could strike them down quickly, efficiently. That was the first thing Nico had told her when she and him first exchanged texts, born from a nearly-botched mission that almost took his life. It was only accomplished thanks to Nico and his comrades working together to survive. They were stranded in unknown territory with a mission to collect several types of special ores, and had to fight their way to an open space where they could get evacuated to safety.**

 **One could imagine how she reacted when she found out.**

* * *

A chuckle escaped the brunette's lips, finally something she could use to take her mind of her troubling thoughts. "Yeah, I can definitely see that. Compa tends to worry like an old housewife when her husband finally comes home from work." she remarked, smirking in her friend's direction.

Said friend swiftly pouted in her direction.

* * *

 **After recalling the words that he had said to her after he had spent 2 hours trying to calm the worried Nurse-In-Training down, a worried expression formed on her face. "Nep-Nep… um, maybe we should find Ni-Ni as soon as possible and get outta here. This place gives me the creeps…" she said, shuddering while wrapping her arms around herself, as if attempting to seek warmth that only her own body could provide.**

 **When Neptune saw this, she walked up to her quivering friend and rested a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner, "hey, cheer up, kiddo. Nobody likes to have cry-babies around. And besides," her expression morphed from stern like it was before to a cocky smirk, the kind of smirk that she would make before delivering a joke, which in this moment felt like it was necessary. "When you're being bullied by somebody you don't say 'why me?' instead you say, 'try me'! so bucker up, girl! We got a party member to save."**

* * *

Now THAT got Neptune's attention. "Hey... i'm pretty sure that's a meme I haven't yet used in the canon games..." she mused, quickly pulling out a Planeptune Iphone and beginnig searching through the Internet.

"Uhhhh... Nep, what are you doing?" IF asked in confusion about her sudden actions.

"Don't worry, Nep-Nep's just looking up memes. She does this between games and fanfics to refresh her meming ways." Compa cheerily explained, bouncing on her seat.

Before IF could form a reply to that, Neptune eventually cheered and raised her Phone. "Yippee! I found it! It's a TG Meme! Geez, I gotta remember some of these, there are some really good ones!" she proclaimed, before once again losing herself within her primary domain. Not Planeptune, not Gamindustri, not even the Neptunia franchise...

But Memes. Glorious, GLORIOUS MEMES!

* * *

 **Her words struck a chord in the cream haired girl, and suddenly, a huge load of confidence swelled inside of her stomach, pooling there and refusing to stop even if she wanted it to. There was just something about the words that Neptune had said that reminded her of her friend, she could see similarities between the two.**

 **Both were courageous**

 **Both were strong-willed**

 **Both were willing to stick their necks out for their cherished ones.**

 **A bright smile formed on Compa's face as she nodded eagerly, a "Hm!" being made within her mouth that made a matching expression form on Neptune's face. "Alrightie, Nep-Nep, let's go rescue Ni-Ni!" she shouted with motivation and determination. The speech given to her had worked its magic in settling her fears for the moment. She pulled her Syringe out and held it at the ready, ready for a combat situation.**

 **There was one special perk that all adventurers and Guild Agents had, and that was called the 'Inventory' which was a portable sub-dimension hotwired to their users' brains. It allowed them to store many items, weapons, accessories, outfits and armour that they either find outside in the wilderness, loot off the carcasses of fallen monsters, or at item stores. Usually though there are few who carry armour around, because it is generally made for the military which focuses more on defence and endurance, while the adventurers rely more on attack, speed and agility. It varies from adventurer to adventurer, Agent to Agent, but nonetheless that was how it worked for them.**

 **With her friend's confidence restored, Neptune turned to head on out, clenching a fist with a confident look on her face. "Alrightie then let's do it like a dude and Go-go-go-huh?" a glint of metal caught her attention near the end of her sentence, turning her expression from one of confidence to one of confusion. She went to where the glint originated from and saw something that was of great intrigue to her. "Huh? Oh hello, what do we have here?"**

 **Compa watched her friend walk to a pedestal which seemed to have something of interest that caught her attention. Whatever it was the young girl wondered what it was, but couldn't see it thanks to Neptune being in the way. "Nep-Nep, what is it? Have you found something?" she questioned instead, hoping that the purplette would let her in on whatever it was she had found.**

 **Neptune turned around and walked back to her, her gaze never leaving her new find which she held in one hand, her other one on her chin as she furrowed her brows while staring intently at it. The object was what looked like a piece of some puzzle, but it was hard to tell, thanks to the continuous silverfish-white glow that it had. When she looked up at Compa, Neptune realised she had asked her a question, and deduced that it was about her item. "Dunno, but I found it on that pedestal over there. It's gotta be some sorta plot device used to appease some king from another land or something." She remarked as she handed it to Compa, who took it back and looked down at it intently, her lips set in a deep frown. "Have you seen it before?"**

 **"Hmmm…" Compa hummed as she looked over the item. The glow felt warm to the touch in her palm as she turned it over multiple times to get a look from different angles, as if that was the key to solving this mystery. However, she couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was. In the end, she shook her head negative as she handed it back to Neptune. "No, I've never heard of something like that. Maybe Ni-Ni might know since he's been around the 4 Continents." She suggested, drawing Neptune's attention.**

 **The girl blinked multiple times as she regarded her friend with curious eyes. She placed a finger under her chin and hummed. "While we're on the topic, who is this Nicky guy anyways? I mean, I've met him, but can you explain to me what your relationship with him is?" she asked, for the first time since they'd met realising that she hardly knew much about them, both Compa and Nico.**

* * *

"Oooooh, we're getting some backstory..." Neptune snickered in leftover excitement, memes coursing through her mind like it was her lifeblood... besides Pudding, that is. Everything else is secondary.

She got some looks from the others, but ignored them.

* * *

 **Blinking, Compa smiled happily more than glad to be talking about her friend and possible crush. "Ni-Ni and I are childhood friends, Nep-Nep. We met when he was dropped off by the Planeptune government at the request of his parents, since they knew my grandfather. He spent a year with us before he left to join the Guild and do mercenary work across all four Nations. Or well, actually he had joined the guild part time, but then he became a Spec Ops after he left." She explained some of her friend's backstory, though she then recalled one detail that would REALLY snag Neptune hook line and sinker. "Also, he has partial amnesia."**

* * *

"Say whaaaa? He's like me?!"

* * *

 **"Say whaaaa? He's like me?!"**

* * *

Cue multiple snickers, even a quiet giggle coming from a certain Tome.

POOF!

Neptune blushed a tinge of pink while chuckling nervously.

* * *

 **While she giggled at the shocked look on Neptune's face, the Nurse in Training shook her head, her hair swaying softly behind her. "No, it's not like yours Nep-Nep. His starts from age 6 to 11, when he first met us. He can't recall anything between then, and ever since his parents had disappeared, leaving him to be taken in by my grandfather. It's always been a priority for him to find out what he had forgotten, to possibly learn about his parents. It's what drove him to become the Agent he is today."**

 **Dull, was the expression that was on Neptune's face. That stuff was deep, deeper than she expected. "Sheesh, he really has it rough, I mean, while I have no memories, he still has some memories leading to unanswered questions, it must be hard for him." She remarked, thinking between their situations. Since she had no memories, she didn't have anything tying her down to the past, which made her easily able to form new memories.**

 **But Nico on the other hand, still had some memories of the past he had unknowingly, maybe even unwillingly, left behind. They must constantly haunt him when he slept, never resting until they were cleared up, which could only happen if he discovered the truth. Neptune had the advantage of not remembering anything at all, which wasn't a luxury he had.**

* * *

"Now that I think about it... this fic has a point." IF realized, eyes wide in surprise and realization. She palmed the center of her left with her right hand clenched into a fist. "Nep and Nico may both have amnesia, but there's a distinct difference between the two. Nep held none of her memories while Nico still has some of his. It makes for a different twist on the whole Amnesia trope."

The others soon pondered this, while Neptune quickly moved on from something that was 'too serious' for her to handle. Though, even she could admit that her friend had a point.

* * *

 **The Nurse in Training nodded sadly, looking down at the pavement and kicking a pebble away. "Yeah… anyways!" Seeing that things were getting awkward real fast, she quickly changed the subject to an immediate concern, though it was still about their missing party member. "We should head on in and find Ni-Ni, he may be hurt and surrounded by meanie monsters. We gotta help him!"**

 **right on, Compa! Let's go get our comrade!"**

 **#ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!#**

* * *

The moment they heard that roar, the girls all went crazy, jumping out of their skin in pure fright.

"Nyaaaa!" Compa squealed, jumping into an equally startled, though she tried to hide it, IF's lap. "Iffy, i'm scared!"

"H-Hey, don;t just hop into my lap like that!"

"Ouchies, my ears feel like they're about to burst! What the Nep, that's no Guard Vermin!" Neptune exclaimed in shock while covering her ears. She had thought that this would be where the Guard Vermin would appear and she gota shot at looking awesome, then saving her friend Compa as he super mode AKA her HDD form. That roar sounded NOTHING like the Guard Vermin's.

Even Histoire looked like she had just saw a ghost with how white she looked. Her skin was so pale that it was almost transparent. "Oh no, that does not sound good..."

* * *

 **Their happy atmosphere was instantly shattered, broken beyond recognition without mercy when they heard a massive and loud roar echo throughout the Cave. It sounded like a mix of a roar and a shriek upon closer examination, made only greater by the volume of its intensity. The volume was great enough that both girls had to cover their eardrums to protect them from the overly loud roar, but even then, it was next to useless as the roar felt like someone honking a horn right in their ears.**

 **"Ouchies, my ears!"**

 **"Holy screamers! What Nep is with this awful sound? My eardrums feel like they're gonna melt! Is this one of those high-level boss event triggers?"**

 **Both Neptune and Compa cried out their comments, barely hearing each other thanks to the ringing in their ears being as intense as all hell. Both closed their eyes in hopes to further block the sound, though it was evidently fruitless. Their hearing was so bad right now, that they failed to notice something approaching them, growling with primal anger and… HUNGER, bloodlust bleeding from its very essence.**

 **Luckily, Compa had good instincts, which made her look upwards where she felt the bloodlust originating from. All the colour drained from her face as her eyes turned big, circular and white. "Watch out, Nep-Nep!" she cried, diving down while taking a startled Neptune along with her. She had let out a gasp and an exclamation of her signature 'Nepu!' while this happened, but it was what saved them, for the source of the bloodlust had lunged down from the top of the Cave, slamming into the space where they had once stood. The impact force had sent them further back however, delaying their recovery by a few seconds.**

* * *

"Whoa, that was an assassination attempt!" Neptune shrieked, looking more than a little scared for her life with how her heart pounded like a jackhammer within her petite torso. She then turned to glare at the forth wall, pointing at it and yelling. "No comments about my bazongas, buster!"

"Nep, stop breaking the fourth wall!" IF shouted. 'Though I can see why the author named this 'Screaming like a Banshee...'

Compa and Histoire prayed that the other Neptune and Compa in the story didn't get a bad ending.

* * *

 **If they thought that they were safe for those seconds, then they were dead wrong. They couldn't see the monster, but it had already started on its offensive, sending something they couldn't see to attack them. They continuously attacked the girls from above, trying to skewer them alive before they could recover.**

 **By the time Neptune had recovered, she had over 10 near death experiences under her belt as she stood up and glared at the enemy, slashing at whatever was trying to attack her to give Compa time to do the same, "Oi! What gives buster?!" she cried as the smoke began to disperse and whatever attacked them receded into the smoke. "It's against the rules to attack outside a battle event! Your cheater, poo eater, belly dancer-WHAT THE NEP?!"**

 **At first Neptune had been all mad and eager to kill what was attacking them, but when she saw what was concealed in the smoke in its full glory her eyes shrunk to dot size as she lost all colour, just like what Compa had done before, quickly changing her tune. "Huh? What is …it…? OH, MY GODDESS, THAT'S NOT WHAT I THINK IT IS, IS IT?!" Compa looked to her friend and noticed her quivering state. Confused, she looked towards the direction Neptune was while asking a question, which soon die in her throat when she saw the monstrosity before them.**

 **If they thought that all monsters would be either cute or weird looking, then they were soon proven wrong as their opponent glowered at them. It had a head the shape of a Moth, with many small beady red eyes with black scarlea staring down at them. It had a mouth fill of razor sharp teeth which was drooling, but not saliva. Actual blood fell like waterfalls from its maw, meaning that it was hungry… for blood. its body looked like that of a moth's as well, with 2 large reverse jointed legs covered in purple armour plates and ending in twisted looking Talons. The plates didn't cover everything however, and what looked like neurotic flesh could be seen underneath. A similar scheme was applied to its 2 muscular arms that ended in lethal claws which looked sharp enough to cut through reality itself.**

 **Lastly, its wings, oh gods, its WINGS! They looked like they were made from the flesh of over a thousand other monsters, many eyes, mouths and facial features dotting them, each wing having 4 larger eyes like the ones on its head, all of them having the same bloodlust-filled expression that the main ones did. In the end, it looked hideous, and both of its prey were quick to voice their complaints.**

* * *

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Compa screamed, clutching onto IF tighter and refusing to look at the screen. the moment that they saw the creature's full form, any intent to look had left the young Nurse, she just got so terrified by the sight of it. It looked WAY worse than the Guard Vermin ever was! What the heck was that, anyways?! "Iffy, that thing looks scaryyyyyyy!"

Thing was, now Neptune had joined in as she hugged the Guild Agent's free side, quivering in her shoes. "Nepu..." she whimpered with tears in the corners of her closed and trembling eyes. Hey, don't nepping blame her, that thing looked gross as all heck! Not even those gross little critters that she and Plutia found in the Ultradimension look as bad as THAT!

"My goodness, what an abomination!" Histoire shouted in a mix of shock, horror, dread and revulsion. It was all she could do just to keep herself from joining the group hug, even an Oracle who'd been around for as long as she had felt utter dread and fear at the sight of such a creature. It was like an manifestation of her worst fears, out from the depths of the underworld itself. The way those wings looked to her made her feel like they would come up in her worst nightmares.

* * *

 **"Ewww, gross! What the heck is that ugly thing?"**

 **"It looks so slimy, and gross! I think it's one of those 'Banshees' that Ni-Ni told me about!"**

 **Compa and Neptune both grimaced as they turned their heads away from the sight, unable to stomach its grizzly appearance any longer than necessary. Some gagging sounds could be heard from them as well while they made sure their disgust was well known. Its body emitted a scent that nearly made them throw up. Never had they seen such a disgusting monster, both Neptune and Compa had the strong urge to just leave and never come back. The fact that Nico was here and his state being unknown was the only thing keeping them here.**

 **"Banshees?" Neptune looked towards her friend with a curious look starting to break through the disgust, making an unholy combination of the two. It was a far cry better than having just disgust though, and for that she was grateful to her friend. If Compa hadn't said that tad bit of info, then she would have had to deal with that disgust in some other way. "What's a Banshee, Compa? And how the heck does Nicky know em?"**

 **The Nurse in Training dared to look back at the creature before them, which was glowering as it flexed its claws, prepping to attack them at any moment. "Ni-Ni told me about them after one of his quests that involved running with one. He says they prefer close combat and like to overwhelm with numbers. What it did before was signalling to its comrades, so we'll be facing more soon."**

* * *

"Nepu, there's more?!"

* * *

 **"NEPU, there's more?!" Neptune wasn't sure whether she would be frightened or disgusted by that knowledge, that there were more than one of these ugly monsters out there. Her stomach was filled with bile, ready for her to throw up at the best moment of opportunity. "Great, as if we didn't have enough on our plates. The plot really is getting heavy right now and we're not even through the first Arc yet."**

* * *

Nobody dared to laugh as the horrific implications settled into their minds.

* * *

 **Before Compa could scold the amnesiac by saying this wasn't the time for her to be joking around, the Banshee shrieked as it pounced, flying towards them with its claws flexed to rip its prey apart. Both girls cried out as they dove to opposite sides, the Banshee's claws just skimming past them, barely nicking and cutting several of their hairs. The Banshee flew past them and circled upwards, roaring at them as it flared its wings. The flesh of its wings began to bubble, many sounds like stretching flesh being heard from them.**

 **That was their sole warning, before what looked like Tentacles burst out the wings, lunging towards them with the intent to spear them. They were large enough to rival the size of a bus Tire, which made them large. Neptune and Compa screamed as they quickly began dodging like their lives depended on it. The Tentacles retracted after their initial attack failed, as the Banshee shrieked again.**

 **Before they could recover in time, the creature once again went on the offensive, flaring its wings, but this time from their dead flesh there came a barrage of long, hardened spikes, designed solely for the purple of impaling through flesh and bone. Compa and Neptune once again tried to get out of the way, however one of them was not so fortunate.**

 **A scream caught her ears, making Neptune's eyes widen in horror and dread as she turned to the direction it came from. "Compa! Are you ok-" quickly she shut her mouth, or rather, it would be more accurate to say that she was forced to stop talking by the sight before her very eyes. Compa had fallen to her knees, tears of pain streaming down her face while her eyes showed just how much pain she was in. one hand clutched around her shoulder, which had one of the Banshee's Spears imbedded in her flesh. Blood gushed from the wound in her bare shoulder no matter how much she tried to stem the bleeding, even though she was quick to activate her healing magic. In her pained state, Compa forgot she had bandages in her purse, so that was why she had gone straight for healing magic.**

* * *

"Oh no, Compa's got the first hit!" Neptune exclaimed when she barely saw what happened through one eye. Soon enough, the sight of her friend (even if it was in another fanfic) began to get her angry. She remembered the times when her friends were in anger, and that only served to fuel the vengefull fire witin her. "Hey, other me! Kick that thing's booty for me!"

* * *

 **Seeing this lit a fire of anger inside her as Neptune turned to face the Banshee, her earlier disgust now being overwhelmed by her anger as she glared at it. "Dude, I know I'm a comic relief character full of jokes and memes, but right now this oversized bug is seriously pressing the 'Nep rage' meter to maximum!" Neptune shouted as she glared at the Banshee, which flexed its claws, sharpening them by scraping them against each other. What the girl didn't notice was the faint purple aura that was slowly forming around her. Pulling out her Sword from her Inventory, Neptune held it in a battle stance, while her aura covered the blade.**

 **Compa was the only one of the group consisting of her, the Banshee, and Neptune herself, who noticed the aura around her. Her eyes widened as she summoned her Syringe from her own inventory, while also pulling the Spike out to finish her healing. The weapon fell to the ground with a clutter, her blood staining its tips. 'Something's wrong with Nep-Nep… her Aura… it feels different than before.' She thought, concerned for Neptune's wellbeing. She had no clue what this aura thing was about, but right now, in this situation, anything would be a help.**

 **SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG!**

 **Blows were traded rapidly between Neptune and the Banshee, her wooden sword holding out surprisingly well against the lethal sharp claws that the creature had. The two circled around each other, neither of them backing down or giving each other any room to even breathe. Both were giving each other killer looks, wanting nothing more than to end the lives of each other. Neptune had foregone her usual cheery personality at the sight of her friend being injured badly, while the Banshee never once let up on its assault on her being.**

 **Compa, having just entered the final stages of the healing process of her Skill, was sitting down by the edge of the wall, watching the battle play out. She knew she wouldn't be of much help right now, especially with her wound. But even if she was at full strength Compa doubted she'd be able to keep up with the speed that those two were going. She could barely keep track of them with how fast they were going. Their rapid swings created a near-constant sound of clanging that vibrated through the air, able to be heard for miles at the rate this fight was intensifying.**

 **'Woooooow… Nep-Nep and the monster are moving so fast…' she thought as she watched the fight. She felt both in awe and afraid as she watched, in awe at the fact that Neptune was someone who could keep up with the Banshee, whose race had the advantage of flight to help increase their speed. However, she was also afraid of the unknown power that Neptune was showing. It had an inhuman feel to it, like it was beyond her and anything humanity could ever hope to create.**

 **Finally, after what felt like hours of sword and claw swings, the two pulled back. Neptune then made a mighty cry as she reared her sword back, the aura around it becoming a spiralling vortex as her eyes began to glow the same colour. "Haaah! Take this!" she yelled, swinging her sword and releasing a mighty energy wave from the tip of her weapon. The attack sailed forth in a diagonal formation, churning through the ground while it surged towards its target.**

 **Said 'Target' utilised the one advantage it had over its prey in this battle: It's Wings. It flared them as the attack neared, and just before it could collide with it, the Banshee flew upwards and found itself above it. The Attack, now missed, vanished just before it could hit the wall behind them, lest it damage the Cave and cause it to collapse, killing everyone inside it including the one that had launched it in the first place.**

 **However, it couldn't rest easy just yet, as Neptune appeared above it with her sword raised for an overhead slash, her aura amplifying the next swing to a level that was unlike what she used before. She gained a small smirk as she brought the sword down on it, sending the Banshee down to the ground before it could have blocked her strike, causing a large cloud of dust and smoke.**

* * *

"Yes!" Neptune grinned, pumping a fist. "I got em!"

"Woooooww..." Compa gasped, eyes sparkling when she saw how Neptune was holding her own against the ugly creature. Seeing it made her feel a little better about watching this, though the sight of the other her didn't do much to help. "Nep-Nep's other is super strong there..."

"Looks like Nep has had a power boost compared to her original self in canon." IF commented, glancing to the CPU beside her. The brunette also noted how that aura seemed to be powered by her share energy, which meant that her HDD powers would likely awaken soon. 'So, she's transforming on her own, huh? Well, that makes things different. So far though, this battle has been quite entertaining, it didn't turn-based like in the games.'

* * *

 **Landing in a crouching position to negate some of the impact from her fall, Neptune stood up and put herself into a ready combat stance, her smirk now bigger and in much more prominence over her face as she stared at the cloud. "Heh, you're not so tough without your buddies to back you up, are ya?" she mocked, before her eyes hardened and her smirk vanished as she glared at the enemy. "Your gonna pay for hurting MY party members, ya big bug!"**

 **Peering into the cloud of smoke, Neptune wondered what was taking it so long to come out. The answer soon arrived however, as a swarm of Spikes suddenly flew out of the cloud at her intending to turn Neptune into a pincushion. "Zoinks!" Swiftly, the girl began to roll, jump, duck and slice away at the Spikes that would have hit her, relying on her instincts to protect herself from the brunt of the attack. "Just like a bullet hell game, just gotta keep dodgin'!"**

 **Even when she was angry and serious Neptune appeared to love making references and memes.**

* * *

"Hehehehe, that's a me, Neptune!"

* * *

 **When it finished, she had several long gashes on her body, and she was breathing heavily. Being a newly woken amnesiac, Neptune didn't have that much time for an exercise regimen, and she was a newbie adventurer so she had little stamina to begin with. Nonetheless, Neptune looked as though these injuries she had sustained were a minor hindrance, like they were beneath her notice. A fierce fire was in her eyes, the fiery desire to make sure her friend Compa wouldn't be hurt any more by this Monster.**

 **Soon enough the Banshee roared as it flew towards her, and as such Neptune charged back, intending to cut its face off. However, just before they could collide the Banshee flapped its wings, giving it a sudden increase in height that made her sword slash harmless against it. Her weapon practically sliced nothing but empty airspace while the Banshee flew over her. "What the Nep?!" Neptune exclaimed in shock, turning to see where it was going to find that it had switched targets.**

 **From her… to Compa.**

* * *

"Oh hell no!" Neptune shouted, anrgilly swinging her fists. "You get right back here, mister!"

"N-Nep-Nep, stop you almost hit me!" Compa cried, only to be ignored.

* * *

 **The said Nurse in Training paled when she saw the Banshee heading over to her, intending to slice her head off. She quickly grabbed her Syringe, which had fallen to her side at some point in the battle, before raising it and firing blasts of purple energy at the enemy at the speed of a Machine Gun.**

 **As the blasts collided with the body of the Banshee, the creature fell back, launching a series of spikes that Compa began running to get out the way of. She jumped as one of them nearly impaled her leg while she took a page from Neptune's book, shooting down those that would have hit her otherwise.**

 **"Hey, keep your hands, er, claws off my friend!"**

 **Neptune intervened before the Banshee could charge forwards, sending it flying when she performed her CROSS-COMBINATION Skill. The Banshee screeched as it flared its wings, launching a series of Tentacles, these ones being long but thin which made for them to be fired with greater numbers. Neptune and Compa scattered to dodge them doing a series of parkour stunts to help them avoid their tips from embedding into their feminine flesh.**

 **They were good enough to endure up to this point, but they had little ways of defeating this adversary and both knew it. This foe had them out matched in speed and strength, even with Neptune's mysterious power up, so they had to find a way to knock it out long enough for them to escape and find another way to rescue Nico.**

 **However, fate was a cruel mistress.**

 **"Kya!" Compa screamed when she was cornered by the Tentacles. They had embedded into the ground where she was running to, forcing her to change direction only for everywhere else to be impaled. The Banshee snorted amusement in its many eyes that blinked rapidly while it began to drool even more than it did before. "Oh no! its caught me! I have to get out before it's too late!" she cried, stabbing into the Tentacles around her. However, her Syringe was practically useless as its tip couldn't even pierce their flesh. Even if it looked dead, it was harder than it looked. Compa… was trapped, like a rat, with the Banshee being about to capitalise on this like she was its prey.**

 **Neptune witnessed the situation her friend had become invested in, and quickly ran to her aid. However, the Banshee was proven to be quicker than her in the end, for it had raised several Tentacles into the air, moulding them together into a bigger form that was ready to stab into Compa from above, ending her life. "Like I'd let you!" she yelled, running at the Tentacles Compa had tried to break with her aura condensing around her legs and her sword.**

 **'Neptune's attack…'**

 **Her sword hit with the force of a jackhammer aided by the impact of a dozen or so bullet trains. However, power was next to nothing if one didn't use it correctly, and this fact was proven terribly clear when Neptune's sword began to crack from the energy surging through it. and when it hit the Tentacles hard flesh, it just couldn't take anymore and thus, shattered into a million pieces. "Oh no!"**

 **'… was completely useless.'**

* * *

"Histy..."

"I apologize, Neptune, but it appears my other has appeared... though the timing could have been better."

* * *

 **The feeling of being ticked off spiked inside her, but this time not at the Banshee as she yelled out in an indignant voice. "Hey, who keeps making commentary on my dialogue?!" she stamped her foot on the ground in anger, but when she looked up again, a surprise awaited her. Her surroundings seemed to have lost all colour, like the life from them was drained away instantaneously. The ceiling, the walls, the ground, the crystals, heck even the blood coming from the Banshee was now a dark greyish colour. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was frozen in mid-air after coming out of the monster's mouth. "Huh? What the heck?"**

 **'Do not be alarmed, I have merely slowed down time to a fraction of a second, you will have time to save your friend after we are done here.'**

* * *

"Oh! Looks like your other is aware, Histy! you're forgiven!"

"..."

* * *

 **After hearing the mystery voice say that, a sigh of relief filled Neptune as she spoke with a cheery smile, her original attitude now completely restored. "Oh, thank Neps. I thought Compa was a goner there. Anywho, I feel like we've met before, somewhere? Have we?" she asked while looking up at the ceiling. Neptune felt like wherever the voice was speaking from, it would be wise to consider that it was speaking from somewhere above. Seriously whoever heard of someone speaking from within the ground? That was just weird.**

 **'… yes, we have indeed been acquainted before, Neptune. I am Histoire. We met once before in your dream. Do you not remember me?'**

 **The voice's words jogged Neptune's memory as she realised who the voice was. "Hey, its Histy-Histy! How have ya been?" she exclaimed, beaming happily. If it were a comparison contest then her smile would be as bright as the sun itself with how much joy she was exhibiting at meeting an old friend. Then, the sight of the Tentacles, albeit in their frozen state, and the situation she was in right now returned her from her musings to the present. "wait, got no time to chit-chat Histy, a friend needs my help! I gotta save her, but my weapon broke!"**

 **'Indeed, you are facing a formidable adversary, one which humans have gained specialised soldiers known as 'Spec-Ops' to handle. Our world has evolved new monsters thanks to a war which should not have happened. However, that is a story for another time. I assure you Neptune, if you just use Hard Drive Divinity, you will be more than a match for the Banshee.'**

 **Upon hearing the name of the Guild Agent Classification that a certain male party member of hers belonged to, a surge of intrigue welled up inside Neptune. However, unlike normal she didn't voice this opinion and instead focused on another, more confusing, aspect of the voice known as 'Histoire' or Histy as Neptune called her. "Hard drive wha?" she questioned with a dulled stare. Whatever that meant, it was an alien concept to her. She spoke while scratching the back of her head dumbly. "Hhhhhhh, Histy I don't think you know this but my minds' kinda blank. No memories whatsoever, so couldja take it step by step?"**

 **'I see… that explains why our conversation was so all over the place back then. This complicates things, if you have no idea how to use your strongest weapon, this situation seems to be all the grimmer. This leaves me with only one option: we must force run Hard Drive Divinity (HDD) for now. Doing so will-'**

 **"Aaaaaalllrighty then!" Neptune proclaimed, throwing her arms up to the frozen and grey ceiling. "Let's get to it! Compa's in need of the help of mwah, so the risk is worth it! I gotta save her, so please help!" in Neptune's mind, memories of their short time together with Nico flashed through her mind, their first meeting in Compa's house, the unfortunate 'bondage' session that Neptune had experienced, all the way till the moment that Nico bravely sacrificed himself to get them to safety while he just fell down alone. He had been so brave doing that, and learning of it moved her just as much as it concerned her. 'If Nicky can do it, then so can I!' she thought in her mind, a fiery determination blazing to life.**

* * *

"Yeah!" Neptune shouted, beaming as she did some shadowboxing. "I'mma the protag of protags after all! I can be a heroine even in a harem fic!"

IF sighed, facepalming. "Nep really isn't letting that go, is she?"

Compa giggled. "Nope."

* * *

 **'Ufufufu, how brave of you. This 'Nico' character seems to have inspired you, Neptune. Very well, let us begin. Are you ready?"**

 **Histoire didn't even need to ask as a floating Disk manifested in front of Neptune, a series of glowing lines appearing on her chest, almost creating a port the size and shape of the Disk. Neptune swiftly grabbed it as she made a pose, grinning eagerly with a new level of confidence. She didn't know where she got this confidence from but she didn't mind at all, in fact she gleefully welcomed it. "Ready and willing!"**

 **Instantly information poured into Neptune's mind, information she didn't know way but she felt like she knew about it for some reason. Was it something to do with her lost memories? No matter, she'd figure it out later. The Disk began to glow a light lilac colour as she pressed it into her chest, right where the symbol on her chest was. And in that moment, the process began.**

* * *

 **Deep within another part of the Dungeon's depths, a dark, almost void-like part of its depths, a pair of red eyes opened wide, as if the owner had been awakened suddenly from a long sleep.**

 **This energy…**

 **It knew this energy…**

 **It had to go,**

 **it had to go,**

 **it had to go!**

* * *

"Huh?" Compa blinked in confusion, which was shared by everyone else. "What the heck was that?"

"I have no clue, Compa. Perhaps it is something to do with Nico...?"

* * *

 **Back to the battle, Compa could only blink at the sight that was being presented before her.**

 **One second she had been having a near death experience with a Tentacle belonging to a Banshee about to impale her like one would do with a stick and some pocky. It was true what they said about how when one's life was about to end they had flashbacks of everything they did up until their current moment. A whole mybrid of emotions had passed through her at that moment, too many for her to properly process in her shock. But there were several emotions she could clearly make out amongst the swirling vortex that swirled inside her gut:**

 **Sadness: she was about to die without seeing her friend, without telling him something she had been keeping secret for a long time.**

 **Resentment: she resented the creature that was about to take her life right at that moment.**

 **Resignation: she resigned herself to the fact that the hands of the reaper were going to claim her soul today and take it to the other side.**

 **Worry: Neptune was still out there, Compa didn't know if she would be able to make it on her own.**

 **Those were some of her emotions, and all of them dominated her mind, making her senses even more aware of what was going to happen than they usually were. The Tentacle, her body, everything moved in slow motion as Compa tried to move, even though she knew that it wouldn't work.**

 **Though, with what happened next, she didn't need to.**

 **In an instant, everything changed when a bright coloured stream of energy seemed to slam into the Tentacle, cutting through it like it was Tissue paper. The Banshee roared and shrieked in pain at the sudden severing of the Tentacle, which flailed about like a helpless chicken which had lost its head before receding into the Banshee's wing. The stream then flew at it, slamming into the Banshee's body with the impact force of a large freight train, sending it flying backwards and into the side of the Cave.**

 **Because of this, Compa saw the Tentacles around her get jerked out the ground as they receded into the Wings that spawned them. The Banshee growled ferally, slowly taking itself out of the hole shaped like its body it had made in the cave Wall and floating to th ground. Its body had been dealt several wounds in the form of large gashes, most of them through its large Wings, which grew long trails of flesh that knitted it back together.**

 **Looking up, the Banshee's many eyes narrowed as it caught sight of what it was facing.**

 **Compa looked on in awe as the stream slammed into the ground in front of her, dissipating from existence to reveal a figure kneeling like a samurai on the ground, what looked like a sword in its hands. The figure stood up, and the light from the crystals dotted around the Cave revealed the figure's form to them both.**

 **'… who is… that?'**

 **That was what Compa thought when she saw the figure. The figure was a buxom adult woman, with her hair being a dark lilac colour and held in twin braids that reached her waist, with several messy bangs hanging over her forehead. On top her head were a pair of black pieces with blue 'X's that looked like the tops of screws. Her eyes were a bright blue, matching that of the skies looming over the world of Gamindustri, which also had glowing white symbols that replaced her pupils. Strangely enough they looked like the power button for machines.**

 **Her attire consisted of a black and purple skin-tight one-piece swimsuit with some light blue areas here and there. The hands were encased in clawed gauntlets that had purple armour plates where the bones would be, while the feet were mechanical, like a machine' her legs up to her thighs were covered in a thin black material, probably stockings or some form of leg armour, with the trim being made of many +'s, black being the prominent colour with traces of dark purple. Out her back was a set of 4 digital wings, the upper ones bigger than the lower ones. There were black and purple armour pieces floating above the screws of her head, the shoulders, feet, and the sides of her waist.**

 **In her hand, was a sword the same length as her height, which was five feet 4. The sword was shaped like a Katana, with a dark purple blade that turned black at the base, with multiple light blue squares lined at the base. The hilt and straight guard were almost mechanical appearance, and the weapon itself had an ominous dark purple aura covering it like a shroud.**

* * *

"Yeah, HDD me!" Neptune proclaimed, throwing her arms into the air before smirking victoriously. "Looks like ya about to get beat, monster!"

The girls also shared looks of relief. Once a Goddess transformed, things usually took a brighter turn.

Usually.

* * *

 **The woman gave a glare towards the Banshee, before her eyes blinked several times as she looked herself over, her eyes losing their fierce look and replacing it with a sense of wonder. "What… is this? This power… I felt it before when I was angry, but… now it's on a whole other level." The woman commented in amazement, raising her hands to her face while examining herself, like she had never seen herself before.**

 **When she said this, Compa looked at her weirdly, tilting her head in confusion. What was the woman talking about, was she one of those people who were messed up in the head like how others called them, only with crude words? The girl's eyes went to the hairclips in her hair that looked like screws, which were screwed on tight. So, she didn't have a 'screw loose'…**

 **'Did Nep-Nep infect me with her puns? That one sounded like one she'd make…'**

 **'This is your true self, and your true power. It is only expected that you be surprised, Neptune.'**

* * *

 **Chapter end!**

 **Hey guys! how's it going?**

 **Looks like the crew have met their first Abnormal! Man, it feels so nostalgic seeing my work being reacted to like this. Also, i'm thinking of bringing Noire and Uni in after this little battle, they'd get a quick recap from the others about what's going on and what had happened already, so they aren't left out. Still on the fence about Nepgear, though, and that's simply because she'll be featured in the sequels.**


	7. Chapter 7 - Reading Chapter 6

"Quick, next chapter! The author didn't give our reactions to that last bit!" Neptune urged as the next chapter began to play.

* * *

 **C** **hapter 6 -HDD time!**

 **Neptune floated in the air before Compa as she looked herself over. Histoire had just told her that this form she was in, which was both different in terms of power and appearance, was what she really looked like, as if her other form was merely a disguise, a fragment that she could discard easily. Now that she thought about it, this form did have a distinct 'feel' to it that her other form didn't have.**

* * *

"Hee hee!" Neptune laughed mischevously, getting everyone's attention.

"Why you laughing like a creepy person, Nep?" IF questioned, raising a brow.

"I bet I know what my other's thinking right now." Neptune replied, not ceasing her giggling as she raised her hands. "I mean, first i'm like SCHING!" She placed a hand over her torso before dragging them straight down. She looked back up at her friends and Histoire, her grin never ceasing. "then i'm like FWOOM!" she exclaimed, repeating the motion but oulining some bigger boobs.

"..."

"..."

Compa just stared.

Histoire just stared.

IF however... just looked away and pouted.

It was so no fair.

* * *

 **"Huh… Nep-Nep, is that you? Whoa, your glowing!"**

 **Turning her gaze towards Compa, the purple haired woman smiled at her. "Yes, it is me Compa. I apologise for not being able to get here sooner." She told the Nurse in Training, who just shook her head while standing on her feet, as she had fallen onto her backside when Neptune had started her surprise attack. "A certain someone told me that this is my true self, what I really am. I don't know everything that's going on right now, but I promise, we'll find Nicky and get out of here together, as a party of 3."**

 **The Banshee made to attack them while in this conversation, but Neptune didn't make the same mistake twice. She turned her head and glared at it with the same steel she had before. "That won't work." She said simply, flexing her left arm towards the Banshee. From the airspace to her left, multiple purple coloured blades made from pure energy manifested from nothingness. They shot forth faster than bullets fired from the fastest rifle, impaling and pinning the monster to a wall, much to its anger. As it tried to break free, the swords dug deeper, only worsening its suffering.**

* * *

"Ooooh! that looks like my 32 Bit Mega Blade Skill!" the preteen shouted when she saw that Skill. "My other's started the new game plus!"

"Looks like the other Nep really is stronger than in canon." Compa whispered to Histoire under her breath, getting a silent nod from the Oracle. That whole breast thing really inflated Neptune's ego, so they didn't need to wind it up any more.

* * *

 **"Compa." Neptune spoke without looking to her friend as she threw her left arm towards her. The girl eeped when she saw a purple energy barrier form around her, the ground she stood on being covered with a large digital panel. The barrier crackled with energy on the outside, not harming the cargo it contained on the inside. "You stay in that barrier for now. I do not wish to worry about you throughout this fight."**

 **As she listened to that request, Compa made to protest when she saw the look in Neptune's eyes. Maybe it was the new form she was in, but her personality seemed to be a lot different than before. Before, she seemed like an air-headed childish girl with jokes and memes always coming out her mouth. Now though, that personality had changed into that of a seasoned warrior, wanting to limit the casualties of battle. It made her want to follow this woman's orders no matter what they were.**

 **Charisma. That's what it was.**

 **"O-Okay, Nep-Nep! Beat that meanie monster really good, okay?!" Compa yelled out as she sat down in the Barrier, dismissing her Syringe back into her Inventory. She wouldn't be needing it anytime soon, something told her.**

 **Neptune smiled in gratitude, feeling like a weight was pulled off her shoulders. "thank you. I am grateful. Now leave this one to me." She said, turning to the Banshee which was using its Tentacles to pull the blades out, but with considerable difficulty. The area of the Tentacles that were touching the blades seemed to be burning, like just the touch alone was painful and could harm the Banshee. That was noted inside the warrior Queen's mind as she held her sword, going into a Kendo stance. "get ready!"**

 **She then thrusted her blade forwards, sending a massive purple energy arrowhead flying towards the Banshee. Said creature hissed as it finally pulled the Swords out and rolled out the way, its wings too damaged for sustained flight now. Regeneration started to kick in, but to its dismay it was a lot slower than before, which Neptune noticed. "Looks like your healing isn't as good when I use my energy blades. I shall capitalise on your weakness, monster! CROSS COMBINATION!"**

 **With the usage of her first Skill, Neptune flew forwards, her wings making her go much faster than she would have in her human form, and she closed the distance between them in seconds. Her sword came down upon the enemy in a black and purple blur, with the Banshee parrying each strike with its claws. Well, each ground strike anyways, when Neptune managed to send it into the air, she flew up after it and sliced through its back multiple times, earning a shriek of agony for each one before she ended the attack by slamming it down to the ground.**

 **In her human form, Neptune would have assumed the fight was over by now and lowered her guard. But in this form, that was not the case as her instincts told her. A powerful adversary like this one wouldn't be killed by just one Skill. Her purple aura swelled around her body, coating her along with this ethereal white glow which originated from her skin, while she landed before the smoke generated from the Banshee's impact. She floated into a combat ready stance, holding her sword in two hands while pointing it at the location of her enemy.**

 **Said enemy indeed had a few more tricks up its sleeve, proven when from the ground below her, a series of large spikes made from dead flesh erupted, threatening to impale her multiple times over. Neptune acted on instinct, twisting and slashing at the Spikes so they wouldn't enclose her like the Tentacles had done to her friend earlier. The Spikes were sharp and relentless, causing Neptune to suffer more than a few injuries in the form of gashes on her stomach, arms and one on her cheek.**

 **Then, they stopped as the Banshee flew towards her, its wings having regenerated to a point where flight was possible, but they looked damaged still. The Banshee roared as it swung its right claw at her head, only for Neptune to block it with her sword. She did so with the next few slashes, the two trading blows like they did earlier at the beginning of the chapter.**

 **SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG! SWISH, SWISH, CLANG!**

 **They traded blows every millisecond, at least that was what it looked like in Compa's eyes, but in truth they were going way faster. The two circled around each other like lions in a territory fight or a dispute for whoever got the opportunity to lead the pack, until Neptune clashed with the Banshee, sword vs Claws, and then smirked. "I think I'll borrow this from that one orange haired black wearing reaper…" she muttered before energy began rolling off her sword in a large mass.**

 **The Banshee couldn't react in time and was hit with an explosive energy attack, shrieking as it was sent flying backwards to the ground. it landed on its back with a massive thud that echoed throughout the Cave, screeching and cawing as it struggled to regain its bearings for a second. It then flapped its wings to shoot back and planted its limbs into the walls, shifting its body so its back was facing Neptune, who was readying her own attack.**

 **"This is the end, monster!" she bellowed while raising her sword to the skies. The weapon once again was coated in flaming purple energy, roaring like a furnace newly fuelled by the emotions coursing through her body. "Haaah!" she yelled, bringing the sword down and releasing it as a powerful energy wave towards the enemy, the attack leaving a destructive trail through the ground in its wake.**

* * *

"I gotta admit, seeing this... makes me realize the Author has been training in the whole writing action scenes gig." IF commented, whistling at the descriptions. It helped that they were being shown the chapter like it was a video, so the action looked just as epic.

Heck, even Neptune looked engrosses as she lay on her front, kicking her legs behind her. That was how engaging it was! If it could do that to someone who reads the least amount of books, then you know it has to have done SOMETHING right.

* * *

 **As the attack neared its target, the Banshee… barely dodged it in time by jumping into the air from its perch on the wall, swooping down on her like a falcon and raising its claws for a double slash. These attacks were blocked, but that was proven to be a costly error when it flared its wings to release a dozen thin Tendrils that lunged at her from all sides.**

 **Neptune's eyes widened in surprise at the offense, and when she tried to move her sword to destroy them, she found that it had been caught within the creature's claws, leaving her unable to pull it free in time to destroy the Tendrils. 'Oh shoot! I've been cornered!' the woman thought, letting go of her sword's hilt and taking to the air above them to get out of the situation.**

 **This left her without a means of attack, and the enemy could tell. It threw the sword away, the weapon clattering against the ground when it impacted. It then flared its wings and lunched its Tendrils at her, coming at her from multiple angles which Neptune began to fly about in the skies to avoid them. However, the Tendrils didn't chase her mindlessly, they constantly slashed and stabbed, trying to goad her into a corner to finish her off. Fortunately for her, she had kept ahead of them, lest she become a humanoid pincushion.**

 **'This is not good, I do not know how much longer I have with my power… it feels like its dwindling on me already. If I don't do something soon, I…' her thoughts were broken as she hurriedly dodged the lunge of a Tendril attacking from the front. She then did a full circle to avoid several more, before noticing that she was close to where her sword lay, anxious to return to its mistress. 'If I can just get to my sword…'**

* * *

"Oh no..."

"What is it iffy? You look frightened, as in eggplant level frightened."

"Np, your other just made a big error. Just watch."

* * *

 **"Nep-Nep, look out!"**

 **Unfortunately, Neptune's moment of pondering would cost her greatly, an eruption of Tendrils had burst out the ground, shooting towards her in all their twisted splendour. Before she could move to dodge them, Neptune was caught hen the Tendrils grabbed her by twisting and coiling around her feet, slithering up till they reached her thighs. "Ugh, get off me!" she yelled, anger and embarrassment overtaking her. Neptune raised a fist, empowering it with her energy before bringing it down on one of the Tentacles. It shivered and unwrapped itself, only for several more to get her arms, holding them out with her legs making her look like a star.**

* * *

IF crossed her arms, scowling. "See? Your other dropped her guard and the beast capitalized on it."

"Noooooo! I don't want to see my other get tentacled!"

* * *

 **The situation had shifted dramatically back into the Banshee's favour, and it knew it. The girls however, had no clue of just what it planned on doing to them, an act that would be worse than anything that any pervert, murderer or rapist could do. It was a fate that not even a dog deserved, and that was barely scraping the iceberg to what horrors it would unleash.**

* * *

That didn't fill them with any easy going thoughts, their forms tensing at what that could be.

Compa held IF's hand for comfort, same with the brunette.

Histoire gripped the edges of her tome tightly while doing all she could to not incinerate the Projector before her. Those Nep girls were like her daughters, so seeing one like this just ticked the Tome off beyond measure.

* * *

 **As she struggled in vain to break free from this situation, the Banshee snorted at her, and the woman got the feeling she was being insulted somehow. She gained a tick mark over her forehead as she aimed a glare at the Banshee, struggling even more thanks to the adrenaline her rage provided her. "Your insulting me just now, weren't you?! Don't try to deny it, I know you did!" she yelled, only for a snort from the creature to confirm her thoughts by doing its imitation of a chortle and pissing her off even more. "Just you wait, once I get out of here, I'll-!"**

 **Before she could finish though, Neptune suddenly gasped when her body began to glow an ominous purple colour. She cried out as the glow went down the Tendrils and into the Banshee's wings, making it howl with delight as it hungrily sped up whatever process it was doing. Neptune's cries were ignored as it did its thing, and the glow began to get brighter on the Tentacles. Soon, it became apparent that Neptune was weakening, as her efforts to break free began to dim.**

 **"Nep-Nep, you have to get outta there! The Banshees have a Leeching ability that steals the energy of their prey! they use it to immobilise then capture!" Compa cried upon seeing the ability at work. She remembered Nico telling her about it one time during their talk about the subject over the phone, when he had said he'd found a settlement overrun with a Banshee infestation. The horrors he had seen there weren't fully disclosed to her, but what she had heard was enough.**

* * *

"Oh no...!" Neptune gasped in shock, horror filling her at what could possibly befall her other now that she was in this state.

Then, her mind wandered to Compa as she began to worry about what could befall her.

'Come on, other me! Play some big play to get yourself outta this!'

* * *

 **With this knowledge, Neptune once again resumed her struggles to break free, her energy being leeched off her continuously by the Banshee. It saw how she was attempting to resist and growled, its many eyes darting about in a frantic manner as it increased the suction rate of its ability. This continued for a while, before Neptune began to feel her consciousness slipping away, her energy draining too fast for her to do anything as her movements began to slow.**

 **'N-No… this can't be happening… we're the heroes, we're supposed to have an easy victory…'**

 **With her weakening body, Neptune felt the energy get sucked out of her at last, and in a bright swirling light her body was back to its preteen self, and because the transformation was stronger than her human body, Neptune felt the effects of the leeching even greater than before, making the battle to remain awake that much harder. "U-Urrgh… no fair… what is with… this crazy monster…?" she muttered under her breath as the Banshee, sensing its victory nearing pulling her towards it. She couldn't see what it was doing and thanks to the Tendrils neither could Compa, which made her impending death that much more terrifying. Worse was, she had no energy left to resist her inevitable fate, a fact that made frustration well up inside her. "I-Its… the author's fault… for making this scene so different… from the original rebirth series…"**

* * *

Was it getting hot in here?

NONE of the girls liked what they were seeing right now.

"This can't be the end..." Compa whispered, a hand over her mouth with tears in the corners of her eyes. "Its too early for an end!"

"Yeah!" Neptune shouted, just as spooked as Compa. Especially when her other began getting pulled towards the monstrosity known as a Banshee. "C'mon, other me!"

* * *

 **Compa could only watch as she saw her friend near her end, her eyes wide with horror and dread, a deep pit of nothingness invading her stomach as she placed her hands on the barrier. With the weakening of Neptune, I had grown unstable given the amount of areas of it that were growing static. It was like how small pieces of a serpent's old skin fall off when shredding. She tried banging on the barrier to break through and help her, but despite its state the barrier had remained strong enough to keep her inside. "No, this can't be it, the story can't end this way! We barely got started on our adventure together! We have so many people to meet, monsters to fight! We can't end it like this… NEP-NEP!" she cried out, tears falling down her cheeks like waterfalls, and she didn't bother stopping them. Her mind was in chaos as she watched her friend about to get eaten by the Banshee.**

 **She was always an optimistic person, it was her nature to be so. She had been raised with the belief that in the end, everything would work out, that things would be fine. Many called her weak for thinking that way, that she was too soft-hearted to think like that and it would only get her killed. Back then she didn't care, she didn't care what people thought of her as she would just smile and wave it off. Even though there was someone good like Nico whom had been there to support her when insults really hurt and people started getting physical on her. But now, for the first time in her life, Compa had no idea how this could work out.**

* * *

"Yeah, that's the thing..." IF nodded her head, scowling as she tried to think of a way out of this... none came up. "Even if you're an optimistic person, if a situation looks to be hopeless even they can fall under despair."

* * *

 **"No… not like this… anything but this… someone, anyone… please… NEP-NEP! NI-NI!"**

 **Her cry caught the Banshee's attention as it paused whatever it was doing to Neptune. The Banshee noticed that her defence had been weakened considerably, and launched several more Tendrils from the Wings, ones which quickly smashed through the barrier and grabbed her by the neck, wrists, waist and legs. Compa cried out in horror and fear, trying to resist it but it just raised her into the air, letting her feet dangle over the ground, before bringing her over to itself, right alongside Neptune.**

* * *

"EEP!"

"Oh no, it's got Compa!" Neptune shrieked, not utterly and truly terrified. This was just too dark, was this really a Neptunia fanfic?! Why was it so dark and depressing?! "Why did the DD me lose, anyways?! That's not how it's supposed to go!"

Histoire was the one to answer, and when she did her tone was a mix of solemness and sadness. "Even if you have great power, if you don;t have the mind to work things out, the enemy can out smart you. it is a common thing within the animal kingdom, the stronger predators can be outsmarted by the weaker ones."

* * *

 **The Tendrils then began to squeeze them by their necks, cutting off vital air supply for the two as it cackled evilly, a sick, twisted grin forming from its fanged maw, or as best as it could with how its head was built. Because it was grinning, more blood could be seen pouring from its maw, making it look like the Banshee was drooling a waterfall of blood. slowly, it leaned forwards, its maw now open wide to expose the interior of its mouth to the two horrified girls, how there looked to be rows upon rows of long, sharp teeth just waiting to tear into their flesh and rip it asunder.**

 **'Th-This is… this is it… we're going to die here…' Compa thought, a lone tear sliding down her cheek as the maw neared the flesh of her right shoulder, Neptune struggling to break free so she could stop it to no avail. She tried to call out to her, to warn her only for a Tendril to shove itself into her mouth like a gag, making her attempts as moot as someone being unable to speak without their vocal chords.**

 **Just before she could lose her consciousness however, what could be considered as… monstrous intervention happened. It could have been considered as divine intervention, but the only thing that threw that off was the appearance and nature of what happened next. A loud roar sounded throughout the cave, and only seconds later did the Banshee detect something heading its way.**

* * *

"Huh?"

"Eh?

"Wha?"

* * *

 **WHAM!**

 **Something slammed into the Banshee just after it detected its presence with a frenzied roar, which also sounded like a mix between a roar and a scream. The two girls fell abruptly down to the ground, the Tendrils holding them in the air having been sliced to bits by unknown means. Well, they would have hit the ground had they not been suddenly caught by something, something cold and metallic, like armour.**

 **The girls recognised the feeling of armour as they attributed it, despite their weary, weakened states, to the armour belonging to their mystery comrade. Both weakly raised their heads using what little strength they had left in them still, hoping to find out if it were Nico who had saved them, but their eyesight became blurry just now where they could have seen the face of whoever had rescued them.**

 **"U-ugh… h-h-how careless of me… the main character… to… ha…ve… lost, so… eas…ily."**

 **"Nep…Nep… we aren't… in a… ga…me…"**

 **Both girls fell unconscious at last, with the hope that whatever had saved them wouldn't eat them alive. But the last thing they had heard before they fell, was the loud roar of the creature that had saved them as it charged at the now scared Banshee.**

* * *

"So, wait? Did they just... get saved? By who, Nico?" IF questioned, blinking in confusion.

Neither Compa or Neptune said anything, they were too busy recovering from what could have been a horrific ending sequence worse than that game with the black alien hunting the player down.

* * *

 **Now, there were few things that terrified Histoire more than anything.**

* * *

"Oh, it's me!" Histoire gasped in surprise, before EVERYONE began paying attention to what the tome fairy's other was telling the readers.

* * *

 **One of those was the deaths of the CPUs, and the resulting fall of Gamindustri. She would do whatever it took to defend the home and people she loved from people who wanted to see the world burn just for their own amusement. Even if those people happened to be people she had once knew. Her general role was to record the History of Gamindustri, but there was nothing that said she couldn't develop goals of her own. Histoire was fortunate that her goals weren't so sinister with this freedom of development, something that her creator, the former Goddess of this world, had given her. Even with this freedom, she was not all powerful, as her creator had put limits on her so the information she possessed wouldn't be misused.**

 **But what she had just recorded happening in the Monster Cave was something that sent constant chills of raw, primal and unrestrained TERROR through the spine of her book self. Not only did Neptune and her friend Compa lose their fight with the Banshee, even with Neptune rediscovering her power to transform, but they had almost been forced into a fate that she would never wish on anyone, not even the worst of the worse amongst both humanity and non-humans.**

 **Yet, it was WHAT had saved them that scared her senseless.**

 **It was a creature that had long since been erased from history, a being that could very well be the darkness to the light of the CPUs. The CPUs may be non-human, but they were brought about by the natural faith of those of the lands they oversee. Demonic entities had not been seen IN Gamindustri, but they did once exist before time. What happened to them was a mystery not even she knew of, as their time was long before she was even brought into being.**

 **This creature, though… was something else, a foul force of nature that was the result of corruption yet with intentions for good, created during a time of great hardship and tragedy, only to become something horrifically twisted and brutal, a monster that Gamindustri would NEVER be ready for, not in several thousand millennia. The last time this being existed, what happened could not even begun to be described with words, it was that bad. What that boy had done was bestow upon himself an even worse fate than what he had already, and if someone didn't do anything he would soon fall to madness.**

 **That is, if anyone could help him at all…**

* * *

"Oh, so it WAS Nico after all... but something happened to him and this Histoire's scared CENSORED because of it." IF noted, getting an affronted look from the Tome.

"IF, Language!"

"Yeah, Iffy! You've got impressionable kids here!"

"One, you're older than any of us save for Histoire, so deal with it. Two, Compa's over 18, at least in the canon games, so she's not a kid either. and three, i think after what we just saw w're entitled to a few bits of profanity... so stop CENSORING me!"

* * *

 **He was lost, there was no way around it. it was also the only thing he could use to describe the situation he was in. Nico looked around at his surroundings, watching the endless black void that he floated within endlessly, his body apparently being bathed in some sort of white paint that illuminated the area around him, not that it did much. The darkness seemed to devour all forms of light around him, not letting even a spark reach him. Hell, his light was the only source of light there was.**

* * *

"Oh, look! It's Nicky!" Neptune shouted in joy. It honestly surprised her to see an OC harem protagonist and feel so relieved. Wonder why that was. Maybe it was thanks to the Banshees?

"What's this setting though?" Compa wondered, frowning in worry. "It doesn't look healthy."

* * *

 **"What the hell…?"**

 **Nico knew where he was however, he'd been here more times in the past than he could remember, starting from the first day after he had been taken in by the Planeptune Government to be put into Compa's grandfather's care. Currently, only one person knew about these instances, and that person was…**

 **His eyes widened when the whole setting shifted, and he was submerged under a red lake, his breath stolen from him as he tried to swim to the surface. However, it was fruitless, a heavy weight formed on top of his shoulders, which began to burn with the stress the were under. Something was slowly pushing against him, keeping him submerged, but he fought against it, his eyes wide with fear and dread as the sinister presence he felt below had noticed him. He needed to leave, he had to get outta here, before-**

 **Just before he could get to the surface, something shot forth past him and grabbed the hand that was just about to grace the tip of the surface water, beginning to drag it back down despite his resistance. Soon more of that something grabbed his other hand and his feet, turning him so that instead of the escape known as the surface he was facing the abyssal depths of the ocean below.**

 **And that was way worse.**

 **Because of the lack of light, he was unable to see what was holding him, but Nico didn't need to, he had an instinctual feeling of what they were, and that information did nothing to aid his emotional state right now as he frantically tried to break free, bubbles escaping in large groups from his mouth as he gasped, only for water instead of air to shoot down his throat. He couldn't even cover his mouth with his hands anymore, and yet, the burning pain assaulting his body refused to let him fall unconscious, it kept him alive like a patient in a torture chamber.**

 **Then, glanced down into the depths… and saw something that, no matter how many times he witnessed it, shook him to the core, stripped him of all his bravery and fearlessness and left him with a shell of fear and anxiety. A pair of large eyes opened in the darkness below, eyes so full of predatory rage, desire, of HUNGER and INSANITY mixed together to form one of the cruellest, bone-numbing gazes ever created by… well, anything. When he had first saw that stare, Nico realised that nothing else would come close to scaring the living daylights out of him more than this stare.**

* * *

"Whoa, come on!" Neptune shrieked, jumping behind the sofa. her head popped back into viw, and i showed how pursed her lips were. "Enough with the scariness alreasdy, sow us some happy times!"

"Kyaaaa..." Compa whimpered, hiding behind IF again. That seemed to be her go-to thing for anything fear-related, huh?

IF meanwhile, wondered what the heck was going on. Where was this place? More importantly, why was Nico there?

He's said to have known where he was, so why didn't he say where?

* * *

 **His eyes widened in sheer dread when whatever had grabbed him began pulling the male down even harder towards the pair of eyes, a jagged, twisted maw slowly becoming visible while he was pulled closer and closer, bit by bit. The maw was illuminated by a red interior, steam being released from within to show how hot it must be within there as it slowly opened, a searing heat penetrating the coldness of the lake and right onto his body. it felt like as though he was being burned alive by the fiery heat of the sun itself, but he managed to suppress his desire to scream at the sensation. It wasn't like he had any other choice, water would go down his throat otherwise.**

 **"YOU... CANNOT...ESCAPE...YOUR FATE!"**

 **A dark, murderous and sinister voice whispered both into his ear and through his mind, like it came from outside and inside respectfully. Nico tried to resist its words, refusing to believe them even though he knew deep down that it was telling the truth. It, along with the Guild, had proven its point to him many times before, that his body's condition was permanent, that there was no way for him to go back to being a normal human.**

 **He was doomed to be this way… doomed to walk a path not even a dog deserved. The path of the monster.**

* * *

 **Nico's eyes shot open with a startled gasp, quickly shooting up so his upper body was straight. His eyes were wider than saucers while the irises were no larger than dots. The male panted heavily, a hand clutching his chest while sweat trailed down his forehead. His heart pounded rapidly from the adrenaline surging through his system while his breaths came out as shaken gasps.**

 **'That dream… no, that was no dream, I know EXACTLY what that was…'**

 **The male tried to calm his pounding heart, his heart that was currently about to burst from his chest with how erratically it was beating. But despite his efforts the images of the dream he had plagued his mind, constantly making his efforts useless. Still, he tried hard to regain his composure, to regain some sense of normalcy which he so desperately desired. 'But… if I had that dream, then something must have happened… something that made me drift from my path…'**

 **Instead of forcibly calming down, a moment later he decided to think on the reason why he had that nightmare. It did seem to work however, as he felt his breathing steady, his heart rate calming down to a steady rhythm while his eyes returned to normal. After he took a few breaths, Nico closed his eyes as he pressed an index finger and thumb to his forehead as he tried to recall what had happened to him. The last thing he could remember was touching that strange crystal, and then… blank, he couldn't recall anything after that.**

 **His eyes widened at this revelation, 'okay, something about that crystal must have sparked a divergence, if it was able to make my nightmare return to me. The gap in my memory worries me, but it's not like my amnesia, no it feels like the memories are there, it's just… argh, yep like I thought. Looks like something was stressing me out at the time to the point where my mind blocked the experience, including my memories, out. That must be the divergence. ' He thought, analysing every bit of information he could gather from his experience.**

* * *

"Hmmm... this does not sound too healthy, like you said Compa." Histoire remarked, frowning in concern over what they just read. If what she felt was being implied was being so, then Nico's mental state may be questionable.

"So lemme get this straight..." IF began, crossing her arms and her legs. "This guy has a mental state where his amnesia is due to memories being blocked out by something stressful, to the point where he gets nightmares or a 'divergence' as he calls it telling him what went wrong and what to not do to mention this edgy 'path of the monster' buesiness."

Neptune hummed in thought, using this as an opportunity to get away from all the scary scenes they just witnessed. "Hmmm... the plot thickens..."

* * *

 **The male then felt a chill come over his body, a shudder being its natural response. Looking to the left Nico saw why: a window was open, which had let in the breeze that caused him to shudder. This led to the next question that popped into his head: where the hell was he? His eyes glanced around as he examined his surrounding at last, and found that to his surprise and relief, that he was inside Compa's bedroom. At least the settings were familiar to him.**

 **'Though how I got here is a mystery I'd like to have solved. I best go and… wait, Compa and Nep! Where are they?! I hope to god they're alright! If someone has hurt them, I swear to the Goddesses I'll rip them to pieces!' Nico shouted in anger through his mind, his eyes filling with a mounting fury. If anyone had touched those girls that he had sworn to protect the smiles of, then they would face his wrath.**

 **Before he could go down that route any further, something white and purple below him, just out the bottom of his vision, distracted Nico from thoughts of bodies hitting the floor in mangled messes, and when he looked down, Nico breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a familiar hoodie dress wearing female appear in his vision. 'Whew, so Neptune's right here… that's a fucking relief, I can imagine the hell I'd have unleashed if something bad had happened to this innocent soul…' he thought while a smile of relief formed on his lips as he ran his hand over her head, ruffling her hair in a cute manner.**

* * *

"Awww, Iffy look, Ni-Ni's rubbing Nep-Nep's head." Compa cooed at the scene. The moment she saw it, despite the dark thoughts that plagued his mind before, everything seemed to fall away to reveal something behind it all, like a Mask. It showed her someone who cared, someone who cared very much actually, about those he called close.

Part of her did feel weird as in gut wrenching weird, but she ignored that.

Neptune however, felt oddly... weird, herself. What was this feeling? Why was this guy rubbing her head making her wannna go all cooey like Compa? Meh, she'll figure it out later.

* * *

 **It earned him a happy moan of pleasure from the girl, whom leaned into his touch unconsciously making his smile widen. She was so adorable, that was something he had learned about her from the first time he'd seen her, though at the time Nico was focused on other matters to notice, like pulling her dirt-covered self out the ground she had impaled.**

 **As he stared down at her sleeping form, another question popped into his head, one that replaced his relief with a mounting terror once again. 'Wait, why the hell is she in bed with me? Ooh gods, did I do anything while I was sleeping?!' his eyes widened to their previous state when he woke up, the horror of that realisation sinking in faster than ice scream exposed to the heat of the sun.**

 **The male's fears became more founded when he noticed that his upper torso was bare, exposing his thoroughly-trained soldier body. His body had the appeal of a six pack, maybe an eight, but it was usually covered by his clothes, as well as his armour when he deployed it. It was also because of his 'condition' that he had this body, heavy, intense training had transformed his body from what it once was, a thin, scrawny stick-like body, to his slim but powerful build. 'Oh gods, please tell me nothing happened! I don't want to be responsible for hurting her like that! I'll kill myself, consequences be damned if that happened to her without her consent!'**

* * *

The moment they realized that Nico was indeed half naked, all three girls blushed, staring at his body before two of them averted their eyes. Two of them however... didn't.

Guess who.

* * *

 **Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how one viewed it, Neptune chose this moment to wake up from her beauty sleep on top of the male's lap. She sat up while stretching her arms with a 'munya' sound from her mouth, making her look even more adorable than she already was. "Ahhhh, man that was a great nap. This Nep's Nep-gauge has been recharged to full for the rest of the day." She mused to herself with a happy smile as she lowered her arms to her side, then raised one to her mouth to stifle a yawn.**

 **Afterwards she opened her eyes to the sight of Nico staring with disbelief at her, and for a moment the two stared at each other. That is until the still groggy preteen gave a sleepy smile and tilted her head with a weak wave of her hand. "Hey there, Nicky, g'morning." She greeted with less than her usual energy output. It made sense considering how she had just woke up.**

 **"Uh… good morning Neptune… but um, how are you so sure its morning?" Nico hesitantly asked her, trying his best to keep his face as calm as possible. He didn't want to show how nervous he really was about the situation he was in. Nico in his spare time, usually after being forced to by his fellow Spec-Ops agents, had watched a few playthroughs of some romance based Visual Novels, like the one about where the player is a young man in debt with the mafia, but saves a young girl with red hair and white uniform which results in him being accepted into an all girl's school that's choosing whether to go co-ed.**

 **His fellow Spec-Ops Agents, when not in the field, could be either humorous or very annoying, for example how they would**

 **And in those Novels, this situation had the potential to spiral out of control VERY easily. Though, what he learned from those Novels was how NOT to act in certain situations, how to think, plan, calculate and showcase one's cunning. He didn't learn any emotional lessons from it like what his fellow agents wanted or teased him about, hell Nico sometimes doubted he had any emotions left. At least… positive ones.**

 **At those moments, he thinks of Compa's smile, one of the few things he has in this horrid twisted world.**

* * *

For some reason, Compa began feeling weird sensations in her stomach, something which IF and Neptune noticed.

"Oooh, looks like THAT is happening, Iffy, ehihihihi!"

"Yup, looks like THAT is happening, Nep."

"You guys!"

* * *

 **"Huh? Of course, its morning, what else would it be? I mean, I wake up, the sun is shining, the day is bright and…" the male watched as Neptune went on about how one could tell it was morning, chuckling at her antics. She may be a bit slow in the uptake, but he didn't hate her for it. In fact, it reinforced Nico's desire to keep Neptune safe from any harm that comes to her. Even though he had only known her a short time, Neptune had shown him that she was quite like Compa, and that alone put her in his good books. Good people like Compa… they had to be protected, if their future were to be a bright one.**

 **Soon, Neptune's little speech came to an end, "… and that's why pudding gods are real!" the male had to raise a brow at that, an amused action, but an action nonetheless. Since when did their conversation spiral down to the debate of pudding gods being real? Nico shook his head at her childish antics. Though they did do the job of making him forget about his previous problem for the time being.**

 **It was then that Neptune's brain finally began to catch on to something as her expressions became ones of confusion, "… Huh? Nicky?" she muttered, before looking at him. Nico stared back, knowing what was about to happen and bracing himself for the inevitable. Neptune's eyes widened… before her body slammed into him with her arms wrapped around his back, her head buried into his chest, "Nicky, your awake!"**

 **"Ufufufu, little slow there, aren't we Neptune?" Nico asked her with a smirk, amused at how she had taken more than a few seconds to realise that he was awake and talking to her. He almost gave in to the urge to laugh, but didn't. A: it seemed mean in his head to laugh at the girl for somethings he likely had little control over, a part of her personality, and B: with the way, she was holding him right now told him that she had been worried about something, so laughing at her right now would be like a slap to the face.**

* * *

Histoire smiled in approval, nodding her head. Good to see that despite what had happened, the young man still thought of the girls' feelings.

* * *

 **Looking up at him, the male's theory was confirmed when he saw her face. Nico had to admit it pulled at his heartstrings, seeing those small tears building at the corners of her eyes as she glared at him. "Don't ever worry me like that again, buster! You have some nerve, scaring this pure maiden when you threw us away from that crater!" she chided him, pounding his chest with a fist.**

 **The male let her do that as payment for making her worry. He was surprised though that she cared that much despite not knowing him very well. Perhaps it was because he was close to Compa that she saw him as an extension? While that did hurt a little, Nico could understand that logic. Nico rubbed the back of his head nervously, not meeting Neptune's gaze right now. "Yeah well, you girls didn't notice it until it was too late, and I was worried so…" he tried to say, but for some reason he felt worse for trying to defend his actions.**

 **Nevertheless, Neptune stopped pounding him with her fist. With his build and endurance, it didn't hurt him in the slightest, but still the look on her face reminded him of a kicked puppy, which made him feel all the guiltier. "I was worried you know… you and Compa are the only friends I have right now. No memories are in my brain, for whatever reason, so you guys are the only thing I have, to stop me from being lonely. So, promise me that you won't do that stuff again, ya hear!"**

 **Seeing the look on the preteen's face get even more depressed and lonely made Nico want to rip his heart out and stab it for making Neptune feel like this. In a way though, he could see where she was coming from, both him and Compa were the first 2 people to ever show her any kindness after her amnesia, they didn't throw her aside like some others would, they stuck by her even through her antics when other people would have given up on being around her. So, the thought of losing one of her friends must have been hard for her to take.**

 **Looks like the joker has a soft side after all…**

 **"I… can't do that Neptune." He replied sadly, this time facing her gaze directly while rubbing the tears out her eyes while he continued. "It's part of the Spec-Ops code for me to do what I did. there's several rules we follow: protect the interests of the government. Make sure the city is safe from any threat against its walls. And number 1, most important: PROTECT the civilians whenever you can. I was doing my duty as an Agent, there isn't anything wrong with that."**

 **Neptune made to respond to that, and judging by her face it would likely be accompanied by a raised octave, but he stopped her by continuing. "Still, since your worried that much I can promise you this: I will do all that I can to survive any crazy stunts I pull in the name of duty. I'll survive and make my way back to you guys. I swear on my pride as the Guild's DEATHSTROKE." The male told her with utter seriousness, interlocking the hand she had used to hit him with, using one of his own. There weren't many times where he could keep a promise, many times he had to tell people he couldn't keep any because of the nature of his duty. However, this one he had every intention of keeping no matter what. The fact that someone was worried, someone CARED enough to worry… well, that was something he treasured deeply.**

* * *

"Awww, a heart warming scene..." Histoire mumbled. She wondered why there was this wet feeling in her eyes, but dismissed it.

"Still, I didn't expect that." All eyes turned to IF, and literal question marks popped in and out of existence above their heads. This prompted IF to explain, tiredly. "Seriously, do you know how many times a guy promises to do something in these fanfics, yet the risk themselves anyways? At least in this fafic, the OC realizes that promising something like that's guaranteed to crash and burn. But since this will only worry Np's other more, he decided to promise that he would do his best to stay alive, the next best thing. That way, if he does hit the hay, he at least struggles as hard as he can beforehand. This way he's both considering the reality of the situation, and the girl's feelings."

Compa hummed thoughtfully, her eyes a mix of downcast and worry. "Still though, this could be one of those 'death flags' I sometimes hear on the internet." she commented worriedly.

* * *

 **His words had softened the girl up, evident by the slight bashful look on her face as she drew her gaze to the side, "wow… that was quite romantic there, bud…" she muttered with uncharacteristic shyness. The male nearly blanched in surprise at that, "trying to pull the smooth moves over this pure maiden, are we? Hah, I see your plan my naïve little bro! this Neps route won't be achieved so easy, even if you have the makings for a harem protag!" she proclaimed with a fist pump.**

 **An eyebrow twitched as Nico frowned while closing his eyes. While he was glad that Neptune had regained her usual personality, he was a bit insulted at some of her remarks. "I'll have you know, I have ZERO talent for a harem, seriously I'm usually awkward around girls in normal social norms, hell I have no charm whatsoever." He told her with finality, firmly believing in his words. He wasn't as well-known as other Spec-Ops agents so it was a given that girls would go after them and not him.**

 **In a way, it was a relief, considering his condition…**

* * *

"Oh, so it's NOT denseness, he's just that convinced nobody will like him that way!" Neptune exclaimed in surprise.

"That's... actually really sad." Compa mused, her eyes flashing with depression. It saddened her when someone thought so little about themselves like this.

'I get the feeling this 'condition' has something to do with it... and the limitations it puts on him.' IF and, unknowingly, Histoire thought in unison.

* * *

 **Neptune however, remained unconvinced at his words. "Nah, that's not true." She waved him off as the male made to counter her again. However, she stopped him by continuing, "I mean, you already charmed one of us already, who knows maybe you'll charm more gals without even realising it! Man, a dense anime harem protag who doesn't look generic at all! I wonder how the author's gonna pair us all up with you. There's been many who've tried for us."**

 **The male now had no clue as to what the girl was talking about, and this feeling of obliviousness he was feeling right now… 'She reminds me a lot of THAT guy, with her ability to break the fourth wall while spouting references and memes 24/7…' he thought to himself, chuckling at her antics. Still though, thanks to his… association with THAT guy, Nico had some idea of what Neptune was saying, stuff about charming one girl already. He wondered who he'd managed to charm without realising, so he could apologise for doing that to her and maybe steer her towards someone worthier. After all, someone like him had no chance with the ladies.**

 **Before his thoughts could spiral any more into depressing territory, they both heard someone knock on the door. "Nep-Nep! Are you up yet? I'm coming in to change Ni-Ni's bandages!" called a familiar voice. Nico had only a second to register the fact that he had bandages on his upper body, which surprised him as usually his wounds would have been… dealt with, by now.**

 **The door then opened, and in stepped a certain cream haired Nurse-In-Training, carrying a med kit filled with medical appliances for treating those who had been wounded in battle. When she looked at te bed and saw what was happening, her body froze as she dropped the med kit. "E-Eh…? Ni-Ni?" she gasped after a moment of silence. Then, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she blurred forwards faster than a certain blue hedgehog. "NI-NI!"**

 **"Guh!"**

 **Nico gasped, feeling the air getting knocked out of his lungs when the girl's body collided with his, her arms wrapped around his back as she buried her head into his chest. "Your awake, your awake, your awake! I'm so happy to see you up and about, Ni-Ni!" she exclaimed, her voice slightly inaudible thanks to her face being in his chest. Her grip was like iron, difficult to break free. Unlike what her frame suggested, Compa had experience transporting unconscious people from place to place, making her very physically fit and powerful, yet still retaining her femininity.**

 **The male felt his cheeks heat up once again at the contact like they had when Neptune had done it. he wasn't used to physical contact like this, and had to speak his mind before this got any worse. "Uh, thanks Compa. Sorry for scaring you and Neptune, but could you get off me? I have to get dressed since I'm KINDA topless right now."**

* * *

"And THAT's the end of the chapter!" Neptune exclaimed while pausing the story.

IF smiled brightly, fanning herself as she leaned back on the sofa. "Wow, this probably has been the most engaging chapter yet. The action's good, the storytelling's legit, and the OC is getting pretty interesting." she commented.

"You got it, Iffy. Can we get in a few more chapters?"

"Sure."

Before IF could press play again, they heard a knock at the door.

"Wha? Who could it be this time?" IF questioned while Compa walked over.

When she opened the door, a certain girl awaited the Nurse.

Popping out from behind her, Neptune's eyes brightened considerably.

"Noire!"

* * *

 **Chapter end!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Reading Chapter 7

"What's up with you...?" Noire, CPU of Lastation, questioned with an annoyed tone. She had an eyebrow raised with a hand on her hip in a haughty manner. Her ruby red eyes fell onto the girls, and she noticed their states. "You guys all look like you saw a ghost or something."

"It is good to see you, Noire." Histoire greeted pleasantly, floating over to the other CPU. "Even so, this is most unusual. Normally, you would be so engrossed in your work that you sometimes forget everything around you,"

Noire huffed crossing her arms under her chest as she looked to the side. "I-It's not anything too drastic. It was Kei's idea, she said that I needed a break from work and that it would be good to visit the other Nations. I just happened to choose Planeptune cause it's peaceful! That's it!" she replied.

Neptune and the others giggled, not just at her antics, but also the fact that someone like Kei had decided that enough was enough and put her foot down. They could see that happening, though it was still a little unusual for Kei to recommend taking a break. Noire must have been really stressed out by her work to agree to it, or perhaps she was threatened somehow.

In any case, here she was.

"A-Anyways, enough about me!" Noire began, before she looked on and noticed the projector. Her eyes glinted in surprise, her previous demeanor diminishing slightly. "What are you guys up to? Watching some anime again?" she questioned.

Compa shook her head in response to her question. "Nope, we're reading a Fanfic I got from a friend at work. It's been visualized by the projector, it's really neat!"

"Fanfiction? Really?" Now THIS got Noire's attention. "Didn't think you guys would do something like that. Pretty sure those stories are mostly about us being in harems, so I don't bother reading a lot of them." she remarked, shuddering slightly in disgust.

IF shrugged. "True, but hey, tat's what we all thought about this fanfic at firs, and it's already snagged us in. Even if it turns out to be a harem fic, the overall quality this fanfic has is so that it doesn't depend on this aspect. Try it with us, Noire, you may be surprised."

Noire looked indecisive for a moment, part of her wanting to deny due to the previous reasons, while the rest of her wanted to see what got these girls hooked on this fanfic. Even Neptune had a moderate amount of interest in it, and she was the one who made the meta joke on harem titles when Umio's once being human came to light!

So, in the end they gave her a brief recap of what they have seen, showing her images of Nico and the more important scenes. Such as the moment where he trashed a couple Agents harassing IF, when he talked with Compa on the rooftops, the moment where they first found Neptune, etc. She had the same thoughts when she saw how he couldn't eat human foods, which made her wonder what he was exactly.

Afterwards, Noire took a seat on the sofa next to Compa, crossing one leg over the other as she gave them looks that just screamed 'lets get this over with!'

They did, pressing play and thus, the chapter began.

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - Prep time, ladies!**

* * *

"Huh...? Prep time?" Noire blinked owlishly, frowning. "For what?"

"Oh yeah... those Banshees that nearly smacked my Nep booty..." Neptune grimaced, remembering those creatures. "Can't believe the author didn't show her the images of those things, they were NASTY!"

Histoire sighed, throwing a hand towards Noire as it lit up like a projector and projected the image of the Banshee that the girls other selves had encountered. Needless to say, Noire felt EXACTLY the same way.

* * *

 **"And now, we finally get started on the next part of this arc. Man, that part was much longer than the original rebirth series, huh guys? Oh wait, I forgot Nicky here isn't in the original, since this is a fanfiction. My bad, sorry-dorry." Neptune commented while sitting on the side of Compa's bed, kicking the air with her legs.**

 **It had been a few minutes since Nico had asked Compa to remove herself from him, pointing out how despite the bandages were there, he still was topless. Compa had, at that moment, realised what she was doing to him and blushed bright crimson, quickly detaching herself from him and repeatedly apologising for her conduct while bowing. Nico was quick to assure her it was okay as the crimson faced girl went to get his upper body clothes: his Trench Coat, Polo shirt and holsters. She had also retrieved his boots, since it was unhygienic to sleep with them on in bed. One could get dirt on the bed, and as a Nurse, albeit one in training, Compa couldn't allow that.**

 **As a result, both her and Neptune had their shoes and boots removed too, leaving their individual stockings on.**

* * *

"Yessie, that is so true. Though Nep-Nep sometimes ends up leaving feet shaped mud marks on my carpet which is a pain to clean."

"Ehehehe, sorry Compa..."

* * *

 **"Nep-Nep, what are you talking about?" said Nurse-In-Training asked her while Nico had just finished putting on his Trench Coat after his polo shirt, and was now strapping on his Holsters. He was also listening to their conversation, and had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at Neptune's comments. Really, she was so much like THAT guy it was crazy. He wondered how it would turn out if her and THAT guy were to meet. It would be likely an entertaining, yet mentally taxing, show at least.**

* * *

IF hummed to herself. "Wonder who he's talking about."

Neptune shrugged. "Beats me."

* * *

 **Said fourth wall breaker merely waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Compa poo. Just letting the readers know that the next part of this arc is the last before the next arc begins! Yaay!" Neptune responded, raising her arms into the air and jumping to her feet, repeatedly jumping on the spot. Her energetic self was enough to make both Compa and Nick smile and chuckle at her antics.**

 **Once he had gotten his Holsters back into proper place, Nico looked at them both, remaining silent for a moment, debating on whether to ask this or not. Since they needed answers though, he decided to do so. "So, uh… any idea on how the hell we got here? Last thing I recall is when we were in that new Dungeon." He asked them both while stretching his arms above his head, groaning in satisfaction as he felt the weariness leave his arms. He lowered them right after, letting them swing idly from front to back before they settled at his sides.**

 **"Uh, we don't have much of a clue either, Nicky." Neptune replied for both her and their resident Nurse-In-Training. "When we woke up a couple days ago, we just found ourselves here. You weren't waking up though, and you had lots of injuries on your person, way more than what me and Compa had, heck you were even worse than I was when I fell from the skies." She told him, huffing with her cheeks puffed in annoyance. "So not fair…"**

 **Compa shook her head while smiling weakly at Neptune's admittance of being jealous that Nico got a more realistic amount of injuries while she didn't. "Nep-Nep, its not like Ni-Ni wanted these injuries, you know. Nep-Nep's weirdness aside, it's just like she says Ni-Ni. We don't know who or why, but when we came too we were back in my room. I checked the time when you were asleep, and according to my calculations… along with the use of your bracer, it had been about 3 hours since we went to the Dungeon in total." At the end, she gave an apologetic bow to the male. "I'm sorry we used your equipment without your permission, please forgive us."**

 **The male waved her off, not minding really, especially in these circumstances. "No worries, Compa, I'm impressed that you thought to use it at all." He said, complimenting her idea. He was telling the truth there, if it were someone else he'd likely be pissed off and try to spear them with a Plasma Claw, but Compa was someone he trusted, hell, he'd likely trust Neptune a little with it, just not with the Plasma Claws.** (Cue nods of agreement from the main cast and a pout from Neptune) **"Moreover, this just confirms that one: I was out longer than you two, and with these injuries, in which case…" the male paused as he quickly ruffled under his clothes, gripping the bandages around them and pulling them off him. "Looks like they've healed already."**

 **"Eh?!" Compa cried out in surprise. What happened next caught even Neptune off guard as she walked to him and lifted his shirt up, ignoring the exclamation and embarrassed shouting of the male she was forcibly undressing. She looked at where she had wrapped the bandages around his body, and found her breath being stolen from her when pure, unblemished skin was what she saw as a reward. "Huh…? Why have they healed so quickly? You would have had to be in bed for a week at least with the injuries you sustained!" she exclaimed, before realizing what she was doing after a few moments.**

 **Her face flushed even more as Compa backed away, letting Nico straighten out his clothes with a noticeable blush of embarrassment on his cheeks. "S-Sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear! I was just checking your injuries!" she exclaimed, trying to push down her blush but the images of what she saw were burned into her mind. Compa had been to the beach several times in her lifetime, and thus she had seen naked men, or at least partially naked and topless men, before to the point where she didn't mind it all that much.**

 **However, compared to the build that Nico had, those men were like ugly sacks of flesh to her. Thanks to his training to be a Spec Ops Agent, Nico's body was like a sharpened blade, each muscle, each cell, was geared towards nothing but battle. she wouldn't be surprised if it was apparent that they could grate cheese on his abs or something of similar proportions. It wasn't meant to make him look attractive, no, it was more on the practical side. it was the type of body that got the job done as efficiently as possible.**

* * *

When they saw the OC's body, even the girls had to admit that this was the case... while looking away with mild blushes of embarrassment on their cheeks. Not something they wanted to see.

* * *

 **"Aw, the Comco ship's starting to sail already!"**

 **"Nep-Nep/Neptune!"**

 **Both teens screamed the name of the one that had teased them with an evil snigger, her face that of what would be known in the future as her 'troll face' which would appear whenever she would be joking about at the expense of others. And right now, Compa and Nico were her unfortunate victims. Jeez, where was that lack haired tsundere when you need her?**

 **In another land, a black-haired girl suddenly sneezed, though she had no idea why.**

* * *

Noire aimed a glare in Neptune's direction, her red face turning from embarrassment to anger. "Neptune..." she growled.

Neptune only bonked herself on the head with her tongue sticking out.

* * *

 **Back to the main cast, after they recovered from Neptune's teasing, they made to continue their discussion, when suddenly they were joined by an unexpected visitor.**

 **'Perhaps I could be of assistance.'**

 **"What ho?!" Nico shouted in disbelief, stumbling back in shock as he looked around frantically, searching for the source of the voice, however his eyes didn't play tricks on him for there was nobody about "Whose there?! Show yourself!" he exclaimed, activating his Bracer's radar only for it to register only Neptune, Compa and himself in the immediate vicinity, which baffled him even more.**

* * *

"Ahahahahahaha!" Neptune burst into laughter as she rolled about on her side of the sofa, kicking her legs when she saw how surprised Nico looked. "Oh man, look at that face! The things he's seen, am I right ladies?"

Quietly giggling, Compa nodded in agreement. She didn't want to say it, but Nico's reaction to Histoire's voice looked quite humorous.

"No offence to Nico..." IF began, smirking to herself. "But I'd see where he was coming from. Histoire tends to do that with her telepathy. No offece to you either, Histoire."

"None taken, IF."

* * *

 **The same could not be said for the two girls however. Neptune beamed happily at the voice with a gleam of recognition in her eye, "Heeeeey, hey, hey! Its Histy again, how ya doing? Thanks for that awesome tip on how to use my super special HDD ability." She thanked the disembodied voice, giggling happily, "helped me save my friend Compa when I needed it."**

 **Compa nodded her head, smiling brightly while having her eyes closed as she greeted the voice for real this time, since the last time they heard it Nico was MIA and they were fighting for their lives. The young teen couldn't imagine a better time for the voice to have spoken to them, than being almost near a bad end. "It's really nice to meet you, Histoire. Can I call you Histy too? It's a bit of a mouthful for me…"**

 **'It is very nice to meet you for real, Compa. Yes, you may call me Histy, for it is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. As for you, it is nice to meet a Spec-Ops agent, young Nico.'**

 **Nico's mind rebooted from the temporary bluescreening it had done when it registered the fact that Compa and Neptune had known the identity of this strange voice while he was left in the dark. Perhaps they learned of this feminine voice while they were separated? It was the only plausible explanation, but with how Neptune was acting it was likely she was the first one to know of this voice while Compa was a close second. If he had to guess, he'd say this was the third time Neptune and 'Histoire' had communicated, with Compa on her second experience and him experiencing this for the first time.**

 **'…Ufufufu, its always interesting to record what you are thinking, young Nico. You have observation sills and detective ability unseen in many a man in Gamindustri.'**

 **Nico blanched at the voice's words. How the fuck did she know what he was thinking? And recording them even? Nico had a lot of questions about this situation, perhaps too many for this type of talk, but for now he had to start with the basics. He took a few deep breaths, calming his nerves and his instincts which were telling him to do… a lot of bad things to the area around him. But this was Compa's house, so he resisted the urge. "I have so many questions, but let's start off with the important stuff first, who are you and what is it you're doing here?"**

 **'Agreed, this is not the time to be idle, especially with what you three have uncovered at that Monster Cave. For now, Nico, call me Histoire, I am the Tome that records all Gamindustri's history, there is next to nothing that I do not know. As to why I am here, it's to ask you three a favour or two.'**

 **"Uh, is this something to do with that dream I had where you asked me if I could save you?" Neptune piped into the conversation between them, drawing Nico's interest immediately when he heard the last bit. Histoire asked Neptune to save her? Did that mean that she was in danger and had to ask for help to get out of whatever it was? That was suspicious, if it was something like getting out of a drug ring, then…**

 **'I assure you Nico, it is not a drug ring. I am sealed away in an unknown location. This has been so for several centuries, which have caused radical changes to form throughout Gamindustri. For my first favour, Neptune and Compa found a small object in the Monster Cave yes?'**

 **This time, it was Compa's turn to respond, as her eyes widened in realisation as she pulled the object from within her purse, having put it there for safe keeping. "Oh! Do you mean this Histy?" the girl asked her, presenting the object to the space In-between the three people.**

 **'Yes, you have found what is called a 'Key Fragment.' Only one is not enough, but if all four are gathered together, they become a key to release me from my seal. There is one in each Nation, so if you chose to accept this request, then you will have to travel between all four nations. This is my first request, can you please free me?'**

 **His eyes narrowed at this while Neptune gave a frown of her own, memories of the Banshee resurfacing in her mind that gave her the chills. "But, if we do, we'll have to fight monsters, right? Isn't that… dangerous?" she asked the voice. If they could see her right now, they bet that Histoire would be frowning at the question.**

 **'… Unfortunately, yes. Your life will be in danger, especially with how the monsters have been evolving to more dangerous forms. However, I am certain you three will be able to handle it. We have Neptune, who has her HDD to fall back on when situations become dire. We have Compa, a medic who has an arsenal of healing skills. Even if her bandage fetish is a bit weird. And finally, we have Nico, the Spec-Ops agent who has a variety of experience and knowledge to contribute to the team.'**

 **While the trio flushed red at the mention of Compa and her usage of bandages, they did admit that Histoire had a good point, the three of them alone had some unique skillsets and abilities, so if they partied up they would likely stand a chance against the monsters, both the new and the old ones. If they were to encounter the stronger, scarier ones, they had the OP Spec-Ops agent and HDD wielding Neptune to deal with them while Compa remained at the rear. And it wasn't like Gamindustri was void of other talent, their party would probably grow in number as their journey went on, something that Nico partially dreaded for reasons.**

* * *

"Pretty sure those reasons are to do with his condition..." IF commented to the others getting nods in return.

Noire furrowed her brows. "It would be good of they got more help though,. Neptune and Compa alone are enough to handle, but together and they can give people migraines."

"Hey!" cue dual shouting from said girls.

* * *

 **'I understand that, despite this I am asking a lot of you three, to trust someone you haven't even met yet. To face the new horrors that are plaguing our world and threaten to reduce Gamindustri to ruin. However, I shall offer something to the three of you in return. I will restore your memories, Neptune, Nico, for that is within my power.'**

 **Now THAT caught their attention, especially Nico and Neptune. 'Whoa, whoa, is she serious?!' the male shouted within his mind in shock, his eyes wide with surprise at what Histoire was offering. 'She's literally offering us the one thing I want more than anything, the returning of my memories! I'll have the answers both myself and the Guild have been seeking for the last four years!' let nobody say that wasn't a tempting offer. And if these girls accept this quest then he would be going too, no matter how much it may make him regret it, because he'd feel even more of a jackass by letting a pair of girls go around the world without him. Plus, this sounded like it would be quite interesting.**

 **"Really?!" Neptune cried out, her face exactly like what his feelings were right now: happy, hopeful with a brief instance of surprise. It must have dawned on her as well, the implications of what Histoire was offering them. Nico had to admit, Neptune may be more logical than people give her credit for.**

 **'Really, really. And anyways, I really do need you to get your memories back, Neptune, as well as yours Nico, for you were correct to assume that they hold the answers to many questions.'**

 **The male felt a stab of pride flow through him at being told he had been on the right track, by the literal embodiment of Gamindustri's history no less. It was after that thought though, that he realised something about this situation, something that most likely wouldn't even consider, "uh, hey Histoire? If you're the tome that records all our history then couldn't you just tell us what we need to know?"**

 **'I expected you to ask that. Unfortunately, both your tales are long, too long for me to explain with what time I have left. In addition, I may be the tome of Gamindustri, but with my current state I am unable to access every piece of my knowledge. Neptune's memories are an exception, but yours are not, so I feel it unfair to you if I did that. Lastly, like I hinted at earlier I have a time limit, which I am slowly reaching right now, so I'll hurry and ask the second favour: I want you to go back to the Monster Cave.'**

 **At this, the two gaped at the space above their heads, their eyes white and circular even Nico's were like that. A small silence passed, and when their brains rebooted, they gave a collective shout that may as well have startled half of Planeptune, "EEEEEHHHHHHHHH!?"**

 **'E-Eek! That was one surprising outcry. Let me explain before you jump to conclusions. Nico, you would agree with this when I tell you that there's a Banshee infestation there that threatens to destroy Planeptune.'**

 **"WAIT, WHAT?!" Nico screamed like the monster that had been named, his eyes now filled with even more horror and dread than he felt before when she told them to go back. That name, it sparked a LOT of memories, memories of his previous encounters with those twisted abominations. They were worse than the normal kind of monsters he hunted either alone or with fellow Spec-Ops agents! Just hearing their names sent even the toughest of generals into a cold sweat for goddess's sakes! "ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?!"**

 **'Sad to say, but it is true. I wish it weren't but that is not the case. Worse still, is that since you were unconscious and Neptune and Compa were taking care of you, they have had ample time to become a threat. The Guild have recognised that there's a threat there, but never got any details of what that threat was, therefore…'**

 **Oh gods, things were worse than he thought, if what Histoire says was true… Nico quickly activated his Bracer and checked the news section of the Guild's website, which showed little of what they were doing at certain times. One such article caught his attention, and when he skimmed through it, his face reddened with frustration Nico had couldn't resist the urge to curse. "Son of a bitch! damnit, this is bad! This is very bad!"**

* * *

"Eek! Why does Ni-Ni look like he's about to go on a tantrum?!" Compa squeaked in fright at seeing the furious look on Nico's face.

Noire's eyes narrowed. "He must know more about this 'Banshee' species than he lets on..." she muttered, cupping her chin.

* * *

 **After he deactivated his Bracer, Nico looked up at the ceiling again. "Alright Histoire, you got yourself a deal. I'll take out the Banshee infestation and get these fragments for ya. Those bastards in the Guild have no idea what they've done, sending normal agents into that hellhole, it's like lambs to the slaughter!" he bellowed, officially signing himself up for this quest. It would be the longest one he had yet, but Nico didn't care about that. All he could think about was destroying the Banshee infestation in the Monster Cave. Everything else was secondary in comparison.**

 **"Hold the phone you guys!" Nico and Histoire, after being so deep in their bone chilling conversation, remembered that there were 2 others in the room. Both gave the speaker, who turned out to be a seriously annoyed Neptune and a pouting Compa, as the former spoke again. "You're leaving us outta this, and that's mean! Please explain so we and the readers can understand!" she cried, Compa nodding in agreement.**

 **'The Banshees are an infernal race, you girls. They are an unholy mutation born from two other monster species, with a Hivemind mentality and ability to drain energy from their foes, effectively paralysing them. But that is not what makes them so terrifying that they are rated higher than S class monsters, a rating where only Spec-Ops or the CPUs themselves would be able to fight them.'**

 **Nico soon followed suit from where Histoire left off, his face set into a grim scowl as he raised his hands to his face and clenched them, unclenching them as well as a form of distraction from the horrific truth he was about to reveal to them. "What's most terrifying is how they breed." He told them, lowering his hands with resignation. "When they breed, they… do it differently than normal. They're an all-female race so they can produce eggs internally, and they fertilise each other. This is shown when they drool blood, its meant to show that they have been fertilised by another Banshee. When fertilised, they find a third host. They leech their energy till they can't move, drag them to a secluded area, then…"**

 **The teen took a slow, shaky breath, his body shuddering at the thought of saying what he would say next, but he had no choice. The girls were paying rapt attention now, but nothing would prepare them for what he said next. "Implant their eggs inside the host. They hatch into larvae that eat away at the weakened host, muscles first, vital organs last."**

* * *

A bunch of horrified gasps tore through the girls' throats the moment that they heard that.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Neptune exclaimed in shock, her eyes white and circular like her other's had been earlier. "Nepu?! What the heck?! What's a monster like THAT doing in Gamindustri?!"

"Ewwwwwwww, so disgusting!" Compa squeaked, shuddering in pure dread and terror. "That's worse than anything the four felons of ASIC could have done! Or any of the baddies we've faced!"

IF scowled in anger, gripping her biceps tightly. "If that's the case, then Nep and Compas' others are even more lucky. If whatever saved you hadn't come when it did, then..."

EVERYONE shuddered, losing most of their color when they realized that bit.

Noire could only gape in pure terror, her mind conjuring up images of herself or goddess forbid her sister being prey to one of those things. These new Monsters seemed much stronger than the regular ones, and once their energies were leeched away then it was all over. They could go on about not letting them catch them, but even then these things displayed some form of intelligence.

One could imagine how GLAD she was that they weren't in this Gamindustri.

"I now see why my other and young Nico were so horrified by these abominations..." Histore remarked while trembling. She couldn't even BEGIN to imagine what it would be like if they were to get those creatures within Gamindustri. The nightmares that would bring...

* * *

 **A pair of mortified gasps rang out in the room, the source being 2 thoroughly fear-filled girls. "NEPU! That's messed up, and totally sick! Why the heck is a monster like that in this normally goofy, funny franchise!" Neptune exclaimed, trying not to show how sick that knowledge made her feel. Her efforts may as well have been in vain though, for her face nearly turned a lizard green colour at the images in her head. "This is really dark and depressing territory we're getting into here!"**

 **Compa could hardly make any words come out of her mouth. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out as she closed it again. She was rendered speechless at the horror she had just been told. She remembered when she had asked him about Banshees over the phone, and recalled how hesitant he had been about doing so before changing the subject. Now she knew why, and all her curiosity about them had evaporated faster than liquids exposed before the sun's surface.**

 **The male looked at them sadly for a moment, depressed that he had to tell them that. He felt like a real jerk, scaring them like this, but it had to be said so they knew the scope of what they were getting into. "I get that your scared, so I won't hold it against you. My first time wasn't so either, so I understand if you don't want to-"**

 **"We'll do it!"**

 **When he heard that, Nico gasped, completely caught by surprise when he heard Neptune proclaim that she would help, along with Compa nodding. Both looked scared, but there was a strong determination in them. In that moment, he saw that despite their fears, they were willing to do this, including releasing Histoire from her seal. "Alright, then. Looks like you got yourselves 3 rescuers, Histoire."**

 **'Are you certain? I am aware that Nico would have no problems with accepting my requests, but…'**

 **Both Neptune and Compa nodded their heads, looks of powerful determination burning in their eyes. It was a seriousness that was rarely showed by either of them Nico noticed, which made seeing it more inspiring. "Nep yeah, those meanie monsters tried to use us to breed the last time we met, remember Compa?" Neptune asked while turning on the bed to her friend, who nodded strongly. The fear was more evident in her eyes than in Neptunes, but still she put on a brave face. Nico mentally applauded her for her noble actions, but waited for them to finish while trying not to have a heart attack at what they just admitted. "We gotta stop them fast, swat those bugs with a bug swatter, as payback!"**

 **The two girls made a unified cheer, inspiring morale within each other which put a small smirk onto Nico's face as he pressed a hand on his chest, deploying his Armour. Clenching his fists, he deployed his Plasma Claws, their light illuminating his Masked face as he spoke. "Well girls, I'd try to stop you, but with the way you are, and this rage burning inside me I'm not gonna bother. Now then, let's go on a bug hunt, ladies."**

 **"Yeah!"**

 **'I wish you three the best of luck. May I advise that you make quick preparations before heading out, as while Neptune may have her HDD, her human weapon is… not very practical for this kind of work. plus, it was destroyed during that previous battle, rendering it useless.'**

 **Nico nodded his head in agreement with Histoire's words. First, they would have to pay a visit to a weapons shop to get the preteen amnesiac a proper set of equipment for this kind of work. Spec-Ops work and regular Guild Agent work had major differences in difficulty levels, so things had to be more serious in the former's line of work. Fortunately, he had a few more options than to just go to the shop and waste time deciding what to buy.**

 **"No need, I have that covered." He told Histoire, piquing her, Compa and Neptune's intrigue as he pressed several keys on his Bracer. Which opened what looked like an Inventory Screen. While most would rely on their Inventory, which was native to all Gamindustrimen, Nico himself preferred the large storage capacity of his Armour, which allowed him to place many items such as weapons and armour modules inside. He called it 'Void Storage'**

* * *

 **"** Void Storage, huh?" IF remarked after the girls calmed down upon seeing the other Neptune and Compa's courage to go on despite such horrors. "Seems like it functions like our Inventory. Wonder why he just uses the Inventory thing, then."

* * *

 **He pressed a few more keys as he searched for the weapon he had in mind for the girl, keeping in mind her fighting style and skills. She focused more on fast and powerful attacks, with decent defence, with her evasion being her weakest area, though that wasn't much of an issue with her endurance. 'Hmmm… let's see, I know it's here somewhere… aha!' his eyes widened with a grin slowly forming on his face. "Finally, I found you…" he muttered, his grin widening.**

 **Neptune pouted while puffing her cheeks out in annoyance, she didn't like waiting long and was beginning to get Impatient. "Oh come already Nicky! Don't keep me in the dark here!" she whined, only for the male to give her a raised brow as if to say, 'hold your horses' girl, I'm getting there.' He then pressed several more keys before stretching his hand out, a flurry of particles manifesting above his hand.**

 **They soon gathered together and formed the weapon he wanted to give to the girl: which was what looked like a mechanical Katana. Its sheath contained a rifle mechanism with a magazine loaded and a trigger located below the sword's hilt. Neptune's eyes widened as she began ogling the weapon before her with a look of awe and wonder. "Ooooh, what is this classy looking sword?" she asked as he grasped it by the sheath below the rifle mechanism.**

* * *

"Duuuuuude!" Neptune shrieked when she saw that Katana, her eyes drawn to it like a magnet. They were practically sparkling at the sight of the beautiful weapon. "That's one cool looking Katana, right guys?"

"Interesting sword... especially that mechanism. Wonder what that's for." IF remarked, with Noire agreeing though there was a flash of jealousy in her eyes.

* * *

 **"This my friend, is an experimental High Frequency blade called 'Murasama'. HF technology allows electric currents to pass through the blade continuously so when they slash, the weaken molecular bonds, potentially allowing them to slice through anything. This bad boy was given to me by the Guild as a reward for a Quest long ago, and I think it's the ideal weapon for someone like you." He explained as he handed the sword over to her.**

 **Grasping the Katana in its sheath, Neptune once again ogled the weapon in her hands. She was amazed at how detailed it looked, and how it seemed to fit in her small hands. She so wanted to take it out, and when she sent a questioning glance at him, he responded with a smile and a nod. "Draw it, but slowly, and see what happens." He said, gesturing to the blade's hilt.**

 **With his permission, Neptune eagerly grasped the handle as she held it out in front of her, taking a stance with her legs spread apart. Slowly, she began to grip the blade's hilt, before pulling it out at an agonisingly slow pace. It was worth it though to see the small arcs of electricity arcing from the blade itself, the whining sounds made by it. The electricity illuminated her face when it crackled close to it, and combined with her expression that was comparable to a child opening a present on Christmas day to gasp in awe and joy at the contents, made his smile widen even further.**

 **Usually Nico wouldn't do this, usually he would test the weapons himself before reporting to the WDD about it for them to make the necessary adjustments before shipping the final designs for mass production. However, in his eyes this was like killing 2 birds with one stone, HF Technology was one of the newer technology but the potential it had was staggering. It came from one of the companies in Lastation, MG something or whatever, but it was scrapped early on due to the developer's having a lack of experience with sword gameplay. On one scouting mission in the last war with Lastation, that technology was found and adopted by Planeptune engineers, and since has shown lots of potential for another technological revolution.**

 **Shame Lastation didn't know what it missed…**

* * *

"Wait, what?!" Noire shrieked, looking over to Neptune and glaring at her. "Your other's Planeptune stole from mine?!"

"C-Calm down, Lady Noire!" Compa stuttered as she tried to calm the raging CPU's temper. Though she had every right to be mad since her nation's tech was taken and adopted by another.

"Like hell I will! What's the deal there, Neptune?! You better not have done that in real life!"

"No way! I was just an amnesiac back then, and I was fighting you! How would I have known?!"

One could guess that squabble would be taking a while, so Histoire calmed them down... by force.

Rule number one in Planeptune: NEVER piss off the Oracle.

* * *

 **Back to the topic at hand, Neptune held the Katana as she examined the blade from multiple angles, marvelling at the crimson blade that crackled with electricity. "I have a feeling that a certain tsundere in the future will go ballistic when she sees this…" Neptune had to remark that and, if she were near a certain black-haired girl she would be doing that.**

 **"Now that we're all equipped with weapons…" Nico brought them back to attention again, Neptune swiftly sheathing the Katana while Compa looked on with envy. She felt jealous that Neptune had a super techno gadget like that Katana and she didn't, but didn't fault Nico for it. heck, it felt like he wasn't finished prepping yet judging by how he was rummaging through his Bracer's void storage. "Time to give you girls some armour."**

 **Both girls went wide eyed at that, their mouths hanging open as they looked at him. "A-Armour? But, um, isn't armour…" Compa tried to say, but stopped when she realized that her sentence would have sounded rude no matter how she tried to word it, and she didn't want to be rude to her childhood friend, plus he was only looking out for her.**

 **However, Neptune had none of the restraint her friend had shown as she blabbed her thoughts out before her brain could process them, "um, buddy we don't need armour, I mean it's so stiff and tight! We'd be sweating before we'd even get to the dungeon, and I like the windy feeling I get under my hoodie dress." She admitted with no shame whatsoever.**

* * *

"Goddamnit, Nep..." IF grimaced, face palming. "Don't give the guy ideas like that, it makes you look like a perv instead..."

"Hey, he;s not wrong though!"

"Please stop, Neptune!"

* * *

 **The cream haired girl flushed crimson at the implications, while Nico had a tinge of pink on his cheeks as he tried to get the… stimulating images out of his mind. "Believe me, if these were ordinary monsters then I'd agree that you wouldn't need it. no comment on the last part though. But don't worry about sweating, what I have in mind will solve that issue… aha! Here it is!"**

 **Pressing on the image of the item in his Void storage, Nico held his hand out as 2 objects appeared in his hand. The objects formed from the same manner as the Murasama did, and when they looked at the objects the two girls saw that one looked like a dark purple circular lense inside a black metallic piece with many legs jutting off it, sort of like a spider. The other object was similar, only it was varying shades of cream colours.**

 **After he grasped the two, Nico handed them to the girls, purple one gong to Neptune while the other went to Compa. "The Guild has been thinking of ways to solve the 'weight problem' that armour possesses so that more will use armour for protection, and so these two are their first successes. They're both form fitting and light weight, but can pack a wallop in the defence stat. Go ahead, put them on your chests and you'll see." He told them, gesturing to their chest areas, or at least the area above the chest.**

* * *

"Oh good, he's not trying to be a perv..." Noire commented, sighing in relief. For a moment she had been worried there, but it seemed that the guy had a reasons for gesturing to their chest areas.

* * *

 **Neptune beamed as she went all, "okay, I'll trust ya, buddy. Feel grateful that this Nep likes you so." Before doing what, he said and pressing the device onto her chest within her hoodie, Nico turning away out of respect for her modesty. She didn't notice the look that Compa had sent her as the device activated as it latched onto her chest, digging its legs into her skin which made her wince a bit. However, it didn't hurt as much as she thought it would, in fact it was only there for a second before vanishing.**

 **Instantly afterwards she was encased in a cocoon of Datastreams from the device's purple piece, just like Nico's armour. It lasted a good 1 second, before it vanished to reveal Neptune's new look.**

 **"W-whoa, Nep-Nep! You look… so cool!" Compa gasped in shock as she held a hand over her mouth while her eyes widened at the sight before her. What she was seeing certainly looked beautiful and cool, yet there was a tone of intimidation with it, womanly intimidation. Nico was right in that it fit her frame to a T, covered everything about her at least.**

 **The armour's colours were black and purple like her HDD form, but with no blue. The helmet covered Neptune's head with black armour, with 2 elongated ears extending behind her head that had purple plating on the interior. The faceplate consisted of 2 purple plates aligned forwards in an angular appearance, with 2 lenses within that showed where her eyes were. Her main body was had black slim armour over it with bits of purple where the fractions were to outline parts of her body, like the breasts. On top her shoulders were a pair of large engines with purple glowing interiors, extending behind her, while her arms were covered in black armour down to the hands, which had purple knuckles and nails, while the elbow joints were larger metallic structures that functioned both as joints and… something else. Around her waist was a black 'skirt' made from long spike extensions, while the legs were black armour with purple at the joints, with the kneecaps being the same as the elbows and the feet were shaped like Neptune's shoes.**

* * *

"Like those two guys say: DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

"Nep-Nep, the author just had to delete part of your dialogue for fear of racism taking his fic down, so please stop that."

* * *

 **Looking herself over, Neptune instantly had a similar reaction to it as her friend did. "Holy moly! What the heck is this, this can't be me, can it?!" she shrieked in shock, but no fear. She then did some shadow boxing, finding how well the armour moved on her skin as well as the mechanical whirring's within the armour sounding like music to her ears. "This is BEYOND cool! This reminds me of that one queen with 'Dark' in her name, who has such a delicate looking butterfly form while hiding away the sinister badass robot side of her for when she really needs it for deep plot reasons!"**

 **Nico watched this with a pleased expression on his face as he grinned and crossed his arms under his chest. He was pleased that the girl liked it so much, it really seemed to fit her… in a weird way, but meh. "Something you two should know, these armours are not only form fitting, but once it was deployed the first time they become ID locked to that person, so only he or she can remove them." The male explained while his grin remained on his face, watching Neptune began to do the hula dance on top Compa's bed. It made him laugh a bit inside seeing a dark, intimidating figure doing something so childish, so… Neptunish.**

 **He had a feeling she would be developing a lot of names to do with 'Nep' in the future.**

 **As she watched her friend play about with her armour, Compa looked at her own device, which rested in the palm of her hand. For some reason, she felt like… well, like it was meant to be with her, like it was calling her before she even put it on. Compa doubted Neptune would have noticed this with how she acted, but she got the feeling that this armour was mad e specifically for hr design. She gained a determined look on her face while placing it within her sweater and on her chest. "Right, if Nep-Nep and Ni-Ni can do it, then I can do it to! A Nurse must be at her best to help her patients! Let's go!"**

 **Soon, she too was enveloped by a cocoon of Datastreams, and when it faded, Compa looked herself over to see what she looked like now. Her eyes widened when she did though, and her breath was stolen from her, not to be returned for a long time. Her armour had the colours of light cream, red and white, with the helmet covering her jaw in reddish armour, with the faceplate covering all but her left eye, shaped like a fattened creamy white 'C' with a bit of her face exposed. The helmet had the rest of the red armour extending backwards, making it look like it was elongated and cylindrical. 2 white 'horns' protruded from the sides and pointed forwards, level with her ears. Her main body had cream coloured armour with red fractions, a red 'H' emblem designed into the centre, and elongated white shoulder pauldrons that almost looked like Scythe blades. Her arms had various pieces of red down them, with the forearms having several fractions in that looked like compartments, while the hands were crimson red armour, clawed as well. Her upper arms had a pair of red spikes curving towards each other protruding out of them, making makeshift 'C's. Her waist had a red skirt that reminded her of her normal one, while her leg armour was cream coloured and her feet were reminiscent of red stiletto heels.**

* * *

Now, Compa looked to be the one in awe of her armour, getting smirks from the rest of the girls.

* * *

 **Both Neptune and Nico paused in what they were doing when they saw Compa's armour. "Ooooh, neato Compa!" the girl complimented, her voice deepened by her armour as she bounded over to her faster than the eye could blink, her new equipment not hindering her in the slightest. She began to look her over from different angles sometimes poking her in the red areas. "Wow, this thing feels like a darker, more battle-ready you. It's like I'm looking at 'Compa: Battle Mode!' or something, Hehehehehe." She remarked, giggling cutely into her hand.**

 **The Nurse-In-Training beamed at the praise, before striking a pose. "Thank you, Nep-Nep! Leave it to me, I'll blow them away with my supper death beam!" she exclaimed, giggling like a high school girl while engaging with Neptune in some random antics, showing just how much, they liked their new armour.**

 **Meanwhile, the male Spec-Ops Agent watched them fondly. He almost didn't want to break their moment of happiness and innocence with the grim news that they needed to get going quickly, but the male had no choice. The Banshee infestation had to be quelled before it could cause countless casualties, civilian lives were on the line here. He had to stop them, no matter what, then Nico would go about the four nations to find the rest of these 'Key Fragments'**

 **"Alright you two, settle down now…" he finally spoke, stopping their hyperactivity by placing both his hands on their heads, applying just enough weight to stop them from bouncing up and down. "Remember we have to use these to stop those Banshees from harming the innocent, you didn't forget that, did you?"**

 **Both girls blinked as they remembered that titbit of information. Their eyes narrowed as they nodded in unison with determined stares on their faces. "Yeah, I remember! I'mma not letting those bugs get one step into this pudding land! I'll fight em all on my lonesome if I have to…" Neptune proclaimed, raising a hand to her face and clenching it into a fist with various clinking sounds made by her armour following the motions. Memories of the last time she had fought against those things she had her backside handed to her on a silver platter. She wanted to even the score with them.**

* * *

"Yeah, you tell em, other me! Kick their booties for the Neps across the multiverse!"

* * *

 **Compa nodded in agreement with her hands raised to her chin with the same motions as Neptune, only with both her hands, remembering those same memories but from an outsider's POV, which was what she had been. She recalled how helpless she had been when she watched Neptune get hurt bad by the Banshee she had been fighting to rescue her as well. Compa didn't like that feeling, and wanted to dish out some good old payback for it. "That's right, those meanie monsters nearly hurt my friends. I can't forgive them for that!" she proclaimed, showing an uncharacteristic amount of anger towards the Banshees.**

 **Although with what they learned, could anyone blame them?**

 **With their opinions set, Nico gave them both a hard look, a hand resting on his hip as he judged their stares. None of them backed down, letting an intense staring competition take place between the three. A heavy atmosphere infested the room, dropping onto them like a 1000 KG weight. But neither of them let up on their staring, they all wished to showcase their resolve to do what they had to do, to make the necessary plays to save the lives of countless innocents.**

 **That is… until Neptune sneezed. "Gosh Nepit, I blinked first!" she cried out, breaking down the atmosphere developed between them into pieces like she usually did. she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as the other two looked at her, making her feel the awkwardness beyond 99%. "Hehehe, looks like I uh, kind don't do well with serious stuff, huh?"**

 **Compa shook her head, resisting the urge to giggle at Neptune's antics. "Oh Nep-Nep…" she muttered under her breath while holding a hand on her shaking head, "What are we gonna do with you…?" at this, she received nervous laughter from the purplette amnesiac, who felt the awkwardness increase to levels that were… OVER 9000!**

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **Okay, let's stop with that.**

* * *

"Yeah, lets... that meme's too dead to be good any longer." IF drawled, only getting a grin from the self proclaimed memer of Gamindustri.

"No promises, Iffy...!"

* * *

 **While he was annoyed that the atmosphere was broken yet again by the preteen, Nico couldn't help the smile that emerged onto his lips as he pressed a hand on his chest and deployed his armour as well. It also served the purpose of hiding his smile from the two girls, much to his relief. "Yeah, kinda should have expected that, right? I mean, Neptune is Neptune after all." He remarked with an amused chuckle under the Mask of his armour.**

 **"Yeah, you got it buster!" Neptune proclaimed with a thumbs-up directed at him while unsheathing her Katana and holding it like a stand. If she were in her unarmoured form right now, he had no doubt she'd be doing a girly wink as well, it was just in hr nature to be playful and make jokes and memes every chance she got. "I'mma the protag of protags and all! Even if the take of this take of the rebirth series is all dark and depressing, I still gotta keep on getting my game on. Who else can perfect the role of comic relief character other than mwah?"**

 **'Goddamnit Neptune, stop breaking that poor fourth wall!' Nico cursed inside his head. 'It's bad enough I know one breaker of the fourth wall, I don't need another! #sigh# guess it can't be helped I guess. On the flipside, I guess she could be good for comic relief or breaking th ice, sometimes people need to have a little less tension in their lives. Now, if only Neptune learned the 'when' for her jokes then we'd be set.' Seriously, I this kept up he'd likely have a brain aneurysm from trying to understand what the heck Neptune was talking about. Perhaps if he just didn't question it whenever it came up, he could preserve some of his sanity? Seemed legit.**

* * *

"I agree, seems legit."

"Neptune..." cue a glare from Noire, prompting her to shut up.

* * *

 **"Jokes aside, let's go get those Banshees, lets show em what happens when you mess with Planeptune!" he cheered while raising a fist to the air as he gave that moral inducing shout. Both girls cheered while doing the same as him, Compa with her right hand and Neptune with her left, making him smile. Their morale was good, they looked pumped and ready for action right now. It almost was like looking at 2 potential Spec-Ops agents from the other Agents at the Guild, ones he'd keep an eye on to see if they had potential to be great or not.**

 **Putting those thought aside for now, Nico turned on his heels and made for the entrance to Compa's living room, with Neptune and said Nurse-In-Training following suit. Together, they left the safety of Compa's house and put themselves onto the path towards the Monster Cave infested by Banshees. Nothing could have prepared them for the horrors within, however.**

* * *

"And with that ominous ending, concludes the chapter!" Neptune chirped, Compa pausing the projector as the preteen turned to the newest arrival to the story. "So, whatchya think Noire? Bad? Good?"

"Its... not bad, I suppose..." Noire replied, looking away from the preteen as she contemplated just how engaging that chapter got her. She'd have to find out who wrote that fanfic and see what they are like, maybe bring them to her Basilicom so they could do stuff together (#cough# cosplay #cough#) "It's at least a little engaging. Just a little though."

Neptune beamed happily at her knowing what her friend was like. "Hehehehe, there you go, Tsun Heart. Hey, you might never know, this guy could probably be your first friend, eh Lonely Heart?"

"I'm not lonely, nor a Tsun Heart!"

"Tsun-tsun says what?"

"What?"

"Hehehehe!"

"Goddess damnit, Neptune!"

* * *

 **Chapter end!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Reading Chapter 8

The next chapter got under way after Noire gave some 'punishment' to Neptune for that joke... once everyone got back into their seats that is.

* * *

 **Chapter 8 -Banshee Nest**

* * *

"So we're finally getting to the rematch with those things..." IF remarked thoughtfully.

"This will be an intense battle, I feel." Histoire added, getting their attention whens he elaborated. "From what I can tell, these Banshees are a threat to society more than the other Monsters, and from what we know so far I can see why."

Neptune nodded resolutely, her cheeks puffed as she held her fists to her cheeks. "Yeah, those meanies beat my booty! I demand that we have a retake of that!"

"Now that Neptune's rudeness has been dealt with..." Histoire began with a twitching brow after glaring at the preteen, who paled at the glare. It was that glare she received before she went on her long lectures, not something she wanted to have right now thank you very much. "It seems their threat leel is so bad that they have to have specialized agents to deal with them, but because nobody knows they are there, the guild is sending normal Agents, its a perfect example of 'sending lambs to the slaughter', not that I agree with this."

"I hope Nep-Nep, Ni-Ni and other me are gonna be okay..." Compa mused, worriedly.

IF placed a supportive hand on her shoulder to which she smiled in gratitude.

Noire just stared at the screen, part of her being thankful that Uni wasn't here right now since she would probably have nightmares about these creepy bugs.

* * *

 **The trio walked through the Countryside for what felt like hours, when really it was only one or two of them, and finally found the secret entrance to the Monster Cave that Neptune and Compa had used to get into the Dungeon to rescue Nico the previous time they were here. The entrance looked like a Cave of sorts, built deep into a tall cliff that led into the underground dungeon below. There was a small garden sized clearing before the entrance, one filled with grass and various plants that could have been collected for making new items, but none of the trio were focusing on that.**

 **"So, this is the entrance you guys used?" Nico questioned as he activated his Bracer's Holomap. He cross referenced the map of the Dungeon they were seeking with the geographic layout that the Virtua Forest possessed, finding that this was the truth, before he closed it and looked back at them. "Looks like you girls were right, I was worried for nothing when we diverted from the original path and through all that wilderness."**

 **Compa giggled softly, her giggles sounded strange to her right now since all three were in their armour, but she figured they'd get used to it soon enough. they always did after all, especially with Neptune's randomness. "Yep, I was worried we'd have to go through some more fanservicey type scenes again, those were really embarrassing…" she remarked, not realising that she just partially broke the fourth wall. Nico instantly knew she had been influenced slightly by Neptune's fourth wall breaking habits, and mentally gave a sigh. His friend was being corrupted by the preteen, and she didn't even realise it.**

* * *

"Yeah, Nep has a tendency to do that, just look at the other CPUs." IF commented.

Noire gave an affronted huff, but didn't say anything else. It was true, after all.

* * *

 **If they could see Neptune's face behind the plates that made her faceplate, they would have seen her sheepishly grinning as she laughed, pumping a fist in front of her chest. "Yeah, you said it, the author's not very good with non-scripted fanservice scenes. He tries to get inspiration to support the game's demographic, but when it comes down to it, he's a big softie that likes seeing us maidens get treated right, ya know?"**

 **"Yep-yep, such a softie."**

 **"Fourth wall jokes aside, we have a job to do." Nico broke the easy atmosphere without shame, no sure how long he would have maintained his rationality while hearing that stuff, as he activated his Bracer's map of the Monster Cave, as well as the entry's that had been happening. He gave a curse of disapproval at the results he found. "Tch, looks like it's as I feared, they've been sending in too many Guild Agents to their deaths, unknowingly making them lambs to the slaughter. Normal Agents can't last long in there, so we better be careful." He told them before deploying his Plasma Claws.**

 **Both girls paled at that, the amount of lives that were lost from these creatures would have been severely high then, if what Nico said was true. So many people dead, lives ruined because of these creatures. Histoire was right to have been urgently requesting them to do this, they realised. Well, they sort of had gathered that it was bad when Nico and Histoire had described the Banshee's to them, but right now this was the first time that their threat levels had truly sunk in.**

 **This needed to end, no matter what.**

* * *

Compa teared up at the mention of lost lies, while IF gritted her teeth.

Noire scowled at that as well, even if these weren't her citizens sending agents to their deaths like that didn't sit well with her. Worse, they didn't even know what foes they were facing so they didn't have the full blame either. "Why can;t they just stop and send some fast scouts or something? Those lives didn't have to be lost then."

"Again, that would be possible only if they knew what they were dealing with, Noire." Histoire replied, frowning still. "Such deaths must happen before they escape the Banshees, and considering the times the Planeptune government must have been panicking at the possibility of an unknown Dungeon." she remembered something like that in the original rebirth games, too, where Planeptune officials had quickly assigned a task to the Guild to investigate that Dungeon.

* * *

 **Swiftly, Neptune drew her Katana, which sparked with electricity as she spoke. "Well then, let's not keep those fellas waiting, charge gang! LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOY JEEEEEENNNNNNNNKIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSS!" she bellowed, rushing in with no thought to strategy or planning, much to the horror of the other two.**

 **"Nep-Nep, come back, you can't just go off on your own!"**

 **"You girls, stop! Ugh, I'll say it once again though I have a feeling it'll be ignored, goddamnit Neptune!"**

* * *

"Pft-hahahahaha!" Neptune couldn't help the laughter escaping her as she fell back against her spot on the sofa. "I get the reference there, and good on ya other me!"

"Nep-Nep, it's nothing you should be proud of..." Compa remarked with a weak smile.

"Yeah." IF stated bluntly with far more strength than the Nurse. "Reckless and idiocy must be all you're made of since you do it nearly all the time in our adventures. remember thaat time when you tried to stick yourself to the glass window to avoid work and we had to pull you up?"

"Hey, that was a scary time!" Neptune complained, remembering that event. It had happened last week, too! "Hist was all mad that I accidentally split pudding over her, the poor pudding!"

"You mean poor me, correct Neptune?" Histoire asked sickly sweetly, causing Neptune to pale and go silent.

* * *

 **After the two caught up with the excitable preteen and scolding her for running ahead, which she had countered that the readers wanted to see some humour mixed with horror or something like that, the trio continued their way through the Dungeon, utilizing Nico's Holomap and Motion Tracker to keep themselves aware for any monster attacks. There was silence between them as they looked around, anxiety coursing through the two girls, before Neptune decided to try and break the ice again. "So um, Compa, couldja tell me a bit about how Quests work? I mean, we should visit the Guild in the future, right? In the original, we did that first before coming here, so…"**

 **"That's true, at least. Well, the Guild's this big organisation that is full of people who do requests for other people for a living, from basic work like saving a cat from a tree to fighting hard monsters, they do it all. it's actually a large source of income for Gamindustri." Compa replied as she explained about the Guild to her, Neptune humming in thought. She could see what Compa was saying, as monsters were a large problem for Gamindustri folk, had been for a long time according to them.**

 **Finally, she summed her opinions up with her next sentence. "I see, huh… then that means that they get all the good stuff with relation to monster hunting. They must have lots of books about specific monsters! Oh, speaking of minsters, I wonder what the Queen looks like, I mean Nicky here is in his super try hard mode so I doubt he'll tell us anything…"**

 **At the mention of Nico, the said male looked up at them as his eye bore into their own. "It's been a while since I fought a Banshee Queen, but make sure to commit this to memory: Banshees alone are tough enough, but their Queens are nightmares on the battlefield." He told them gravely, clenching his fists while his Plasma claws seemed to increase in intensity, as if the armour was responding to his emotions.**

* * *

!Ugh, i'm super edgy, i'm super constipated all the time..." Neptune acted, imitating the voice of a certain super soldier who fought giant mechs with the word 'snake' in his codename.

A gesture some smirked at, but Noire took offence to.

* * *

 **As they contemplated this knowledge Nico had given them, they both heard a shrill scream in the distance, aa scream of pain and torment. This shocked the trio out of their stupor as Neptune became the first to comment. "What ho, a person?! Sounds like they're still alive let's go get em!" she called out, rushing forwards to the source of the scream. Compa and Nico looked at each other, gave quick nods, before taking off after their ally, hoping that they could at least save one life from the horrific fate that so many have experienced before.**

 **They soon came to an enclose clearing, one that was shaped like a 'C' and led on to a series of platforms ahead. There, the trio came face to face with an old man on the ground, screaming in agony and despair. His eyes were white and tears of sadness and pain streamed down his face. "There he is, we have to help him!" Compa cried out, making to run over to tend to the elderly man only for Nico to stop her by grabbing her shoulder. Gasping, she turned her head to look at him in disbelief as she cried out "Ni-Ni what are you-"**

 **"It's too late for that guy. My Motion Scanners detect that he's been infested already. Look, see for yourself."**

 **His words silenced her protest, as did the look of morbid terror on his features, including his paling skin which was visible around his sole eye. Desperate, Compa looked to Neptune, only to see that she was in a similar state despite the armour covering up. She turned to the man once again, hoping that for once, Nico was wrong, that they could still save him from a fate that not even a dog deserved. Alas, not everyone gets a happy ending, for the man kept screaming as something… or rather multiple something's, were moving through his limbs at a rapid pace, savage sounds being made as many limbs burst out to hold the man down as their wilders proceeded to devour him whole from the inside out, the man screeching like the namesake of the monsters that now lived here.**

* * *

"Oh my goddess!" Compa screamed, covering her mouth with her hands to try and suppress it. It didn't work. The sight she was seeing right now filled her with disgust, horror and sadness all at once, her eyes watering at how much pain the man seemed to be in on the screen.

IF grimaced, shuddering against her spot on the sofa. "Geez, I get that the Banshees were bad, but seeing it for myself gives a whole new warning message." she remarked, barely controlling herself from going green.

Neptune had no words to describe the horror going on in front of her. If someone like HER was affected that much then it was truly a gruesome sight to behold. She LITERALLY couldn't unsee what she was seeing right now.

"Truly, I can see why the government would create agents specializing in dealing with these creatures..."Histoire commented, shuddering immensely.

Noire now felt EXTREMELY glad her sister wasn't here to see this.

* * *

 **In mere moments, the man was no more, every piece of him having been devoured by what looked like overgrown brownish coloured worms, and they looked hideous. Their bodies were covered in the blood of their host, their heads being nothing but a pair of red beady eyes and a circular maw with multiple rows of razor sharp teeth. They had several limbs made from neurotic flesh, reminiscent of the Banshee the two girls fought earlier.**

 **They sensed that they weren't alone, and looked to find the trio standing there. They all hissed and roared in unison, before slithering off into the walls, digging through them to who knows where.**

 **Now that they were alone, the trio could feel the silence that they had before they came onto that sight… only it felt more like a danger was thrust into their hearts and being wrenched tightly into them. If they had their armours off, then it would be possible to see their mortified expressions, with Neptune and Compa going a little green with the urge to throw up in their systems. Nico wasn't as bad, but he was still disgusted with having to see that, as well as what must have happened to the man for him to suffer that fate. He'd seen that before too, and it wasn't pretty.**

 **"That… was gruesome…"**

 **"How horrible…I can't unsee that…"**

 **Both girls made their comments and by extension their opinions, known about the matter. Nico stepped forwards, kneeling before where the man used to be. Nothing had remained after the devouring had finished it was the way that the baby Banshee's did things. They eat the host they're in starting with the muscles first, then the vital organs last. This was one of the many sights he'd seen in his days as a Spec-Ops Agent of the guild, and it wouldn't be the last either.**

* * *

"This is way darker than the original games..." Neptune muttered at last, the girls agreeing wholeheartedly. Sadness filled them at the passing of an innocent old man in such a gruesome fashion.

* * *

 **After making a quick prayer for the deceased, Nico stood up and turned to them, his expression mostly hidden thanks to the Mask his armour wore. "We gotta keep moving, the Banshees may swarm us at any moment now that they've been alerted to our presence." He said, remembering how the baby Banshees had roared like they did. it was a special kind of roar, one that signaled to the rest of the Hive that there were intruders upon their home turf. He wouldn't be surprised if a group of Banshees came calling thanks to that.**

 **The two girls, eager to get away from this area since it reminded them of what they've seen, nodded while trying to hold in their lunches, as they walked on with heavy hearts, now knowing just how sick it was that so many had experienced the fate they just witnessed.**

 **Walking deeper into the dungeon, the party once gain remained silent. The memory of what they just saw was still haunting their minds, how that poor old man met an end more gruesome than anything they had ever encountered before. Neptune realized that this was going to be way heavier than many other fanfics out there, though she kept that to herself instead of telling it, while Compa was still trying to recover from the possibly traumatising experience. Being raised in the safety of Planeptune's walls made her innocent to the horrors of the wild, so seeing something like that, and had no way to help… well, it didn't feel too good for her. In fact, she felt horrible, like the scum of the earth. The only reason why this wasn't worse was because they had been mildly prepped for it by their friend Nico.**

 **There was a decreasing lack of light as they went deeper, since there were fewer crystals about and they were getting smaller as well, which prompted Nico to raise his claws up for they generated a light from their plasma based appearance. Nevertheless, it wasn't perfect though, much to his chagrin, but it was better than nothing.**

 **Finally, Neptune couldn't stomach it anymore and decided to start a conversation, anything to get her mind off the horrific sight they had just seen. "It gets darker the deeper we go…" she muttered, looking around in worry. She hoped that they wouldn't be caught off guard by any Banshees like this. They'd be at a huge disadvantage otherwise…**

 **Soon, Compa's voice rang out, but it was too dark to see where she was. "Nep-Nep, where are you? It's so dark, I can't see you Nep-Nep." She spoke in a soft, quiet and hushed voice. She too was aware of the danger they were in and wanted to keep a low profile.**

 **Neptune decided to try and lighten up the situation with the usual Nep-banter as she smiled behind her helmet. "Oh lighten up Compa, it can't be that bad. Still though, it could be dangerous, so be careful. No telling what's ahead of us."**

 **Almost as soon as she said that however… WHAM!**

* * *

"Shoulda taken your own advice, Nep..." IF stated bluntly.

Neptune pouted in response.

* * *

 **"Wha-?!"**

 **The sound of something colliding with her rang out, startling the girl and the thing that she had bumped into, making both Nico and Compa stop in their tracks. Both heard something falling to the ground unceremoniously like a heap, with the sounds echoing throughout the Cave. Nico winced, hoping that didn't draw any unwanted attention to their position. Banshees did have very good hearing after all, despite their namesake being because of their loud screeches.**

 **After an unsettling moment, Compa tried to call out to their comrade. "Nep-Nep, are you okay? If you fall into a pit it'll be game over…"**

 **While slightly concerned for his friend's mental health when she said that last part, Nico nonetheless shook his head and raised one of his plasma claws to get a better look of what was ahead of them. It also allowed him to see that Compa was standing just slightly behind him, much to his relief. He didn't want to imagine her being exposed in a creepy place like this.**

* * *

"Looks like the young man is quite protective of the other you, Compa." Histoire commented, smiling slightly. It felt noice to see something goosd in all the chaos right now.

Compa nodded, feeling slightly better at the concept.

* * *

 **With her safety assured, Nico looked ahead at what could have collided with the purplette, hoping it wasn't a baby Banshee otherwise this would suck. He couldn't see much, but what he saw could only be described as… fanservice, so he quickly turned his head away to avoid the sight. But from what he did see, it was that apparent that Neptune had bumped into someone, stumbling down on top of them in a rather… intimate position. He counted his lucky stars she was wearing armour right now, otherwise he could have getting a peak under her hoodie dress, and wouldn't THAT be mentally scarring. Plus, the humiliation of having unintentionally peeked while he himself hated perverts with a passion, would be devastating.**

* * *

"Heeeeeey..." Neptune droned, narrowing her eyes. "You're lucky buster I'd have shoved a CROSS COMBINATION up your booty hole if ya didn't."

"I wonder why Ni-Ni hates pervs as much as he does, that doesn't seem like a normal hatred for them." Compa muttered, frowning. She just got that feeling that Nico's pervy hate wasn't something that could be compared to the normal istate for it. Though she liked that about him regardless.

* * *

 **"I… I think somebody bumped into me…" the girl moaned, holding the side of her helmet. It was fortunately she was in her armour otherwise the collision would have left more than an aching head. She couldn't say the same for whatever she had bumped into though. "Anyways, its dark so be careful." After warning the others, Neptune looked down at what she had bumped, only to find a surprising sight.**

 **"Ow… watch it, girl."**

 **Nico's eyes widened, as did the other girls, although his were more of realisation than surprise, even though it was still there. 'Holy shit, can it be?!' he exclaimed in his mind which was stunned whole trying to process what was happening before his very eyes. 'I didn't expect to meet HER in this place of all places! It doesn't seem like she's infested either, my motion detectors haven't detected movement within her body. wait a minute, how did this happen when my Motion trackers didn't detect anything?' he wondered with confusion, before deciding to form a hypothesis. 'If my tracker didn't track her, then she must have not been moving at the time of collision, it's the only possible explanation I can think of.'**

* * *

"Iffy, that'...!"

"Oh yeah, my first appearance came around this time." IF remarked in surprise. This was so different from the canon that she had almost forgotten that fact. "Though I don't know if I should be happy or fearful of this..." She then narrowed her eyes at the screen. "And could someone get that armour off my other?! It looks super uncomfortable!"

* * *

 **As the person they bumped into, rubbed her head wither hand, which was pounding like a drum thanks to the collision with Neptune's armour, she opened her eyes and gasped, her face going red as she realised the position they were in. "Hey, couldja get off me already, your armour's super uncomfortable!" she yelled out in irritation, which made Neptune's brain kick in at last as she hurriedly got off her while trying not to hurt her with the blades her armour had.**

* * *

Everyone snickered as IF flushed at the same words the other her just said.

Aiming a glare at the others promptly shut them up however.

* * *

 **The person then stood up, groaning at the new headache she was sporting, before she gave them all looks of annoyance, then confusion began to settle in when she noticed who they were. "Huh? Wait, what are kids like you guys doing here? You may be wearing armour, but your still kids…" she remarked and asked at the same time.**

 **The male Agent then stepped forwards, taking a bag of ice cubes from his Armour's Void Storage to hand it to her. "Here, you should take this for your head. It'll help, I guarantee it." he offered, to which the girl smiled in appreciation while taking the bag and pressing it against her head, moaning in content as the pain seemed to dull down, replaced by a calming coolness. "Anyways, it's good to see your alive here, IF. I hoped I'd find someone who survived this nightmare."**

 **"Huh?" the girl blinked out of her pleasure-induced stupor and looked at him, suspicious. "How do you know my name when I never gave it? wait…" her eyes widened after momentarily staring him down as she noted the armour and thought of only one person who could have used such equipment. "D-DEATHSTROKE? Is that you?" the girl asked breathlessly, her eyes like white circles. At his nod, the girl released a heavy, relieved sigh, one that indicated just how happy she was, and smiled at him. "Phew, what a relief. You have no idea how good it is to see a familiar face right now. I guess I should have expected it to be you since you're wearing your signature armour. Things have just been a bit hectic for me, is all." She then chuckled a bit as she remembered their last conversation. "Looks like your gut was right, as usual I'd suspect. I just wished our next meeting would have been a bit better."**

 **At this, Nico nodded in agreement while his plasma claws glistened brightly, illuminating the ground around them. "No worries, with what's happening here it's understandable. Nevertheless, you'd be right girl. Let me guess, you saw them?" he asked her, getting a nod from the girl in return. Although she was hesitant to, as a disturbed expression had formed on her face as she remembered what she had seen when she first came to this hellhole of a dungeon.**

 **"If this is what you guys deal with daily I can see why you would be considered elite." She remarked, shaking her head and removing the bag when she felt her headache subside. "I came here with a group of other Agents, the Guild said this quest had to be considered like a dungeon raid with how many people go in, but are never seen coming back out again." IF explained, before she looked down, her eyes darkening with sadness as she shuddered, rubbing her hands up and down her forearms as terrible memories surfaced in her mind. "We were ambushed when we got in, and I was the only survivor of the force. I saw what those things did to the others… and my god… it was awful."**

* * *

"Oh goddess..." IF whispered, paling at the thought of her other seeing the sight she was implying. "That would have been traumatizing."

Everyone else, just as bad as her in reacting, agreed with super fast nods of the head.

* * *

 **Neptune, Compa and Nico frowned behind their helmets as they regarded the brunette with sympathy. The two girls knew that it was not a sight to witness, being infested and the end game, they themselves had only seen the latter, while IF had seen the former and the latter, many times over. Such a sight would have scarred them for life, while this girl looked like she was getting better at handling it.**

 **"On a related topic, Nicky, you know this girl?" Neptune asked as she tried to change the topic. They didn't say it, but the three were grateful for the change, they didn't want to think any more about that horror lest they throw up, and with their helmets on that would be EXTREMELY uncomfortable.**

 **The male nodded at the girl's question. "You could say that, her name's IF, and I met her when some of my fellow agents were being assholes and harassing her. She travels around working with the guild." He replied, shrugging his shoulders while memories played in his mind.**

 **"Oh, I see…"**

 **"Okay, I can see why you would be here DEATHTROKE, but why would you bring these kids along? Doesn't seem like the smartest idea to be honest." IF asked him while glancing around for any trouble.**

 **Nico quirked his sole visible brow in her direction, gesturing to the girls in their Armour. "Well, they're stronger than they look, and have experience fighting a Banshee. Plus, they have some new tricks up their sleeves, more with their armour. Also-" before he could finish, his motion tracer alerted him, and when he raised his left bracer instead of is right one, which still displayed his Holomap, his eye narrowed when he saw a group of 5 red dots heading their way at a high speed, indicating they were either flying or moving really fast. Looked like they were about to be greeted by the welcoming committee.**

* * *

"Ooooh, a surprise encounter!"

"Nep-Nep, Nurse Compa doesn't wanna see these things again... could I have you in mylap so I can hide behind yiou?"

"Huh? No way, I don't wanna get bondaged again! Huh? Are those?! Oh no, no-no-no...!"

"#PUPPY DOG EYES ACTIVATE#!"

"Your wish is my command! #robot voice#"

Noire (who wouldn't admit to the fear coursing through her right now) and the others sweat dropped at the sight.

* * *

 **2 tri pronged blades slid out from within the confines of her coat's large sleeves, and IF grimaced as she got into her combat stance. "Tch, looks like they're here again." She muttered while glaring at the direction the roars came from. "They really are just pests, in every sense of the word, too."**

 **"Eh? That comment… seems like there was a story behind it, Mrs eager to cut."**

 **The Guild Agent nodded in confirmation at Neptune's words. "You'd be right, kid. And don't make me sound like some psychotic killer." She said, scowling at how she was depicted by the purplette. "Anyways, these things were tough, but I noticed that they're weak to fire, so I resorted to gathering them into groups and blasting them with fire magic. Drained a lot out of me, but I was able to lessen their numbers."**

 **As he heard this, Nico nodded in his assessment of IF's strategy, bobbing his head up and down in approval. "Good tactic, these guys prefer dark and cold areas like caves and mines, because of their high vulnerably to the sun's UV output. If we were to drag one outside it would shrivel up and die in seconds." He explained, lifting a finger up as he did so, sounding a lot like a professor giving a lecture. He then glanced at his motion tracker, his eye narrowing into a dark glare as he did so. "I'd love to say more, but sadly it seems we have some party crashers."**

 **Right after he said that, the group saw the same number of Banshees emerge from the ceiling, gripping it with their claws and talons as they moved on all fours. Their wings were smaller than the adult one that Neptune and Compa fought earlier, with their limbs being slimmer. Nico was the first to comment about this. "They're new-borns, not fully mature. Odds are that they are the ones that we encountered from that old man." He said with a scowl, holding his Plasma claws for slashing. That man would be avenged today, if it was the last thing he did.**

 **And then he'd move on to the Queen.**

* * *

"And the super OC preps his guns for the shootout! Do it, Nicky! Ma body, or ma other's body, is ready!"

* * *

 **Neptune nodded as she flexed her arms, and the structures that her arms had for elbow joints seemed to shift slightly, splitting apart at the centre in a vertical formation to allow 2 long curved blades to slide out. They were shaped like the blade of a Scythe, with many long talons on the edges for increased slashing power. These talons, along with the edge of the Scythe blades, were made from plasma energy which crackled intensely. She looked down at her new weapons, marvelling at their design. "Ooooh, sweet! These baddies look like they mean business. Hey-hey, Nicky they look like your claws, don't they? They do, right?" she asked him, gesturing to the edges and talons of her Scythe blades.**

* * *

Neptune went starry eyed as she went 'oooooh' at the blades her other self had. "Whoa, those look like some neato blades! Now I wanna have some rad armour!" She then turned to Histoire with a pleading look in her eyes. "Heeeeey, Hist! Mind if we-"

Absolutely not, Neptune! While they would make a fine addition to our military, I don't doubt you would hurt someone while playfully swinging those things around."

"Daaaawwwwwww, meanie..."

* * *

 **"Yes indeed, these suits were designed based off data collected from previous battles I had. It makes sense that they model some of their weapons after me. Oh, and for reference, they're called 'Armblades'."**

 **While the two had that exchange, the five Banshee hatchlings landed before them and screeched, charging at them with the intent to kill. Compa cried out, instinctively raising her right arm to punch one as it got close. It intended to dodge her sloppy attack, but then the compartments on her right forearm opened, and a cannon shaped like a small Syringe rose to take their place, quickly firing a stream of Plasma Needles from its tip. The Banshee cried out at that and fell back, much to the girl's shock. "Amazing… these suits are amazing!" she cried out again, this time in joy as she fired more and more Needles at the Banshee.**

 **Nico smirked as he saw this while also parrying the claws of 2 Banshees at once. He then flipped over them and stabbed his claws into their backs, electing howls of pain before he tore them out gorily, letting fragments of their flesh fall to the ground while the wounds were burned and cauterised. He then slashed off their wings in a flurry of motions, his form a blur as he readily dispatched them with ease, ending at a decapitation for the pair of them. "Well done Compa! Those're called Armcannons, good for ranged attacks, which is your specialty if I'm not mistaken!"**

 **"Thank you! And yeah!"**

* * *

"Okay, I'm liking these armours more and more." IF remarked in approval, getting everyone;s attention at the sudden admission.

"Why's that, Iffy?" the Nurse asked her.

"Cause not only do they provide defense, but an additional form of offence if the main form isn't usable. Most people can't fight with multiple offences, but that was probably a game mechanic of some sort. Though I do remember RED having a set of toys that had multiple weapons in it..."

* * *

 **Neptune ran at the enemy with her Armblades deployed, IF soon following suit with her own blades. "Hey, why you not wearing armour, girlie?" the purplette asked as she jumped into the air, flipped forwards before coming down in an overhead slash with both blades. The Banshee below her jumped back to dodge them, instinctively aware that those Armblades would be trouble. only for IF to jump after it with a slash aimed towards its head that it blocked with its claws.**

 **Having not heard or ignored the question, IF then made several kicks at its head while still in the air, ones that it parried before reaching to grab her left leg. IF saw this coming however and flipped forwards, landing a heel on top of its head to send it slamming into the ground. she then slashed at the exposed nape, only for its wings to act as barriers to block it. "Tch, even as hatchlings these things are a pain in the ass…" she grimaced in annoyance. In her short experience with these creatures, IF had discovered that not only did their wings act as an offense, but also as a defence through their flexible nature. She guessed she shouldn't be surprised since the Tendrils these things generate were also very flexible, and were more like extensions of the wings than anything. Defensive capabilities were within the limits of the wings, as versatile as they were annoying.**

 **Its buddy ran at her on all fours, shrieking as it went to claw at her side, only for IF to spin and block its strike with one blade, then block the next one with the other. She did this multiple time, before the Banshee jumped into the air and slammed both claws down on her, only for IF to respond by swinging her blades together. The two attacks collided, and under the intense weight being suddenly forced on her without much warning her legs began to buckle, shaking continuously with no signs of being able to be stopped.**

 **Fortunately for her, IF didn't have to endure it long because she was saved when Neptune came in and kicked it in the head, sending it tumbling aside while the first Banshee got up and launched several Tendrils at her. Because of it being young, it didn't have as many Tendrils as the one she fought before, but they were still fast enough to keep Neptune on her toes. She quickly sidestepped, rolled and did other evasive manoeuvres to dodge them, while also slicing their tips off with her Armblades.**

 **The Two Banshees regrouped, hissing and growling at their opponents who also regrouped, readying their respective weapons. "Kid, you may be good but you don't have the experience fighting them like I do. I fought these things when they were adults, so listen carefully. I want you to distract them while I get a Skill ready. It'll take time to gather the energy though, so be wary." IF instructed her, glancing at her new companion. She had seen how she fought earlier, and while it was undisciplined and almost barbaric, it seemed to work for her, allowing to deal lots of damage while being able to take it too. If she could sum it in some words, it'd be 'can't take the head, stay out of the kitchen' as Neptune's tactics only worked because she could take what she dished out.**

 **Said girl got peeved though at the referral to her that the Guild Agent used for her. "Hey, the pot's calling the kettle black, missy! The name is Neptune, believe it!" she retorted, before readying her Armblades. "And with your talk earlier, I'll take care of em, no prob! You won't even heave to do-"**

 **Before she could finish, the Banshees flared their wings and unleashed a barrage of spikes towards them, forcing the two to scatter. It appeared they had forgotten how that the Banshees weren't like regular monsters that waited for dialogue between fighters to finish before attacking.**

 **"It would help if you stay in the game, girl!"**

 **"Yeah, tell me something I don't know, Iffy!"**

 **"I-IFFY?!"**

 **"Yeah, it's much cuter and easier to say than IF."**

* * *

"Yay, there's Iffy's nicknaaaaame!"

"Yessie. Iffy's so cute a nickname...!"

Stop it, you two..."

* * *

 **The two landed in kneeling positions, and the Banshees took their opportunity to strike by flying towards them. At the rate they went, Neptune and IF wouldn't be able to dodge, so the bubbly preteen in armour quickly dashed forwards, her Armblades at her sides in a diagonal angle. When she was near them, she slashed both Armblades at their faces, for the Banshees to retaliate with their claws.**

 **Their limbs no longer usable thanks to her efforts, Neptune looked up and saw their wings about to sprout Tendrils again, and had a flashback to what happened the first time she fought a Banshee. "Nope, not this time meanies!" she bellowed, quickly shifting her Armblades and flicking them upwards, quickly pushing te Banshees' claws away from them and exploiting an opening by slashing them several times on their main bodies. The Banshees shrieked and cawed in pain as they stumbled back from the blows dealt to them, blood dripping from their wounds.**

 **They tried to retaliate by launching their Tendrils anyways, but Neptune had other ideas as she crossed her Armblades together and activated a Skill. "CROSS COMBINATION!" she bellowed, her body moving at higher speeds than before thanks to her Skill's activation. When moving with a Skill in play, the body was much faster thanks to the energy the skill used enhancing its abilities, giving rise to the potential that the skills possessed.**

 **Thus, it went without question why her attack caught the hatchling Banshees off guard. They were just new-borns, powerful ones, but new-borns nonetheless. They had little experience through the world compared to adult monsters, which would prove to be their downfall. With 2 weapons for her, Neptune's skill caused double the damage as she slashed with one and then the other in a unified manner, like they were extensions of her own body, ironically enough.**

 **Kicking them into the air, Neptune jumped up after them, but instead of slamming them down to the ground again, she repeatedly slashed at their bodies while blurring around at high speeds, the hit count numbering at 20 before she raised both blades up, empowering them with the energy she would normally use to power her HDD form, making purple silhouettes of her Armblades cover them to make them look bigger, before she brought them down and engulfed them both in a large purple explosion.**

 **Both Banshee Hatchlings cried out in agony, their wings only able to shield them from the brunt of the attack, ending up disintegrated down to the bone as a result, hindering them greatly as they crashed to the ground. But their troubles were not over yet as IF stood before them with a smirk on her face, holding up a hand which was coated in a crimson-orange energy shell. "Heh, you guys were at least a little bit of a challenge, but not enough for me, now take this! DEMON FLAMES!"**

 **From below them, a large pillar of fire rose to the ceiling, engulfing the downed Banshee Hatchlings in its embrace. They cried out their last as the flames licked away at them, hungrily devouring their flesh in an ironic manner, for their species was known to do the same to their host. They lost their muscles first, then their vital organs, which was in a sense, deep blue sea karma.**

* * *

"Hah..." IF grunted with a deep smirk. "Take that, you bugs. Wish I had some pesticide right now."

Neptune pulled a bottle of such spray and handed it to her.

"Uhhh... Nep, where did you...?"

"Do you really wanna know, Iffy?"

"... nope."

* * *

 **After the attack finished, it disappeared to leave behind a pair of charred corpses, frozen in their screams of horror for until they shattered into piles of ash. IF grinned at the sight, feeling like she had avenged someone's unfortunate demise. However, this didn't last long as a wave of fatigue crashed onto her shoulders like a boulder falling on top of her, and IF fell to one knee, holding herself up with her arms on the ground, supporting the Guild Agent.**

 **"Yay, we won! Don't underestimate the powers of the Protag- huh? Eh? Iffy, are you okay?" Neptune began to cheer, having gained a sense of closure from defeating those Hatchling Banshees. Now, all they had to do for complete closure was to defeat an adult Banshee and the closure would be complete. But when she saw the Guild Agent's state, how she sweated profusely while looking like she'd ran a marathon around the entire Landmass, she grew quickly concerned before jogging over, retracting her Armblades.**

 **IF grumbled as she felt the purplette raise her up with an arm wrapped around the back of her shoulders, allowing her to put more of her weight Neptune. "Ugh, I'm good… just been doing that Skill a lot and it's been taking its toll. I bet I'll only be able to use a couple more of those before I fall unconscious."**

 **This was said while Nico and Compa walked up to them, the male having finished off his 2 foes while Compa had blasted the third one, which had been looking for a way to sneak attack which showed it was the smartest of the five, in the head while it wasn't looking, ending its life quickly. When the male heard what IF had said, a frown formed on his features, "that's not good, IF, you should really make sure to carry ample supplies with you for this situation."**

 **Before she could respond, the male swiftly pulled out a bottle of 'SP charger' from his Void storage, before handing it to her, "here, this should help. I have more than a few energy and health recovery items in my void storage for emergencies, but I'll let you have that one." he told her. IF sent him a grateful look, as without her most powerful skill currently, she would be severely weakened when she faced more of those Banshees.**

 **After opening the drink and downing its contents, IF felt rejuvenated, her energy rising by a large margin. With a grateful smile, the girl looked towards them all, "Thanks for the assist you three, I honestly thought I was a goner down here…" she remarked, scowling as she looked down at the ground. she gritted her teeth at the memories of how her comrades had been infested then eaten alive by those monstrosities.**

 **"Don't sweat it, sister." Neptune began while putting her hands on her hips with her legs spread apart as she puffed her chest out in pride. "The Nep-girl has got your back. Together we can end those meanies and save Gamindustri from their terror!"**

 **Compa hummed in agreement with a nod. "Yep, alone we're not so tough, but with each other we can stand a chance." She remarked while clenching a fist in front of her face. If she didn't have her armour on, they would have seen how confident she looked, confidence born from Neptune's words of encouragement to the brunette.**

 **Said Brunette could only chuckle in amusement. "Looks like you got yourself a colourful pair of subordinates, DEATHSTROKE." She remarked, smirking at Nico who smiled awkwardly behind his Mask, rubbing the back of his head nervously. Her eyes then focused on the preteen amnesiac, the time was just right for her to make a query about something that had been bugging her the whole fight. "Oh yeah, and while we're on this topic, Neptune, right? You really called me 'Iffy' back there?"**

 **"Yup!" Neptune nodded her head in response, confirming IF's words. Nico gave her a look, quickly realising that she was giving out nicknames again like Compa did. Perhaps her and Compa were rubbing off on each other, not just one over the other. That was an… interesting thought, in a weird and thought-provoking way. "IF = Iffy. Like I said, sounds cuter, doesn't it?"**

 **IF mauled it over in her mind, her face looking torn between accepting the name or just denying it outright. It was a complex expression she was sporting, one that made it hard to tell what she was thinking when she had that face on. Nico commemorated this trait to memory as he watched this situation unfold, waiting for his chance to interject. "Iffy…"**

 **The way she said that word caught the preteen's attention as her face shifted from its default bubbly look to one of concern, like when someone saw a stray cat on the streets and wanted to do something about it but had no idea how. "Wait, you don't like it? oh, were you teased by kids with that name?" she asked hoping that she hadn't stepped on a landmine with that one. she didn't like the thought of new friends growing to hate her because of what she called them bringing back bad memories.**

* * *

"By kids you mean you and Compa, then yep."

"Hey!"

* * *

 **Her fears were dashed however, much to her relief, when IF shook her head in denial with a small upturning at the corner of her mouth, "No, I wasn't teased with my name before, girl. Call me whatever you want." She told her with a hand on her hip. Nico had to admit that she had taken the nickname thing rather well, he knew that a lot of people wouldn't be satisfied with those that called them funny and demeaning nicknames, especially if it's from a girl's mouth. She must not truly mind that much, and it intrigued him.**

 **Hearing that it was okay, the nickname anyways, Compa beamed happily as she smiled with her eyes closed, hopping on the spot as she spoke, "really? Yay, then I'll call you iffy too! It's such a cute nickname, don't you think?"**

 **"I-I guess so…"**

 **Nico saw her reaction to the energetic Nurse-in-Training and figured she hadn't been used to someone like her before. It looked even weirder with the fact that they had armour on. It did look weird now that he thought about it, 2 badass looking armoured warriors with weapons that could kill you if you ever so much as looked at them wrong, behaving like little school girls, even if that was what they were like underneath. It showed that Neptune had little regard for how people thought of her antics, and Compa was just adding to the randomness.**

 **Deciding to step in, the male walked up and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, getting her attention, "don't worry about it so much, once those two come up with a nickname for someone it's impossible to convince them otherwise. They like giving nicknames to people." he said with a reassuring tone of voice, before he remembered something from the previous battle, "oh, and you don't have to keep calling me DEATHSTROKE, just Nico will do."**

 **IF nodded at that as she tested the word on her lips, "Nico huh… yeah, I guess that's okay. I mean, it feels a little overwhelming that I'm getting so chummy with a Spec-Ops agent. Oh, the fanboys and girls will be for my head when this gets out." She muttered, sighing in depression at the end.**

 **He could only console her for a few moments, knowing the hard truth of that statement.**

* * *

Neptune put a finger over her chin. "Hmmmm, I bet Vert would like that kind of attention, now that I think about it."

Everyone nodded in agreement, knowing the attention-seeking habits the Leanbox CPU had going for her, habits born from the to... reasons... on her chest.

* * *

 **Then, Neptune thought of an idea, and decided to bring it up with the others barely containing herself at the prospect. "Now then why not come with us, Iffy? Birds of a father flock together after all, and it would be really coolios if we had 2 pros on our Party." She suggested while tilting her head with an index finger on her chin.**

 **Nico raised a brow at this, but didn't find anything wrong with the idea. "Not a bad idea, Neptune, not bad at all. It would be best if we stuck together as a group, especially since we're in the middle of the enemy's territory, it's only a matter of time before more try to swarm us." He said, reaching forth and patting the girl on her armoured head rubbing it in an affectionate manner, though it would have been better if she wasn't wearing her Armour. Neptune hummed in approval as she tilted her head to be petted more by the male, happy that she had been complimented by her companion. He didn't notice Compa pouting in jealousy for a split second though, but IF did.**

 **Said Guild Agent didn't need to think for a second on what she wanted to do, since the choice was obvious in her eyes. "Sure, why not? As they say the more the merrier, right? Also, Nico's right that we'd best stick together if we wanna survive this hellhole." She remarked. Also, there was something else, it was rare that a party consisting of a mix of people: adventurers, Guild Agents and their Spec-Ops counter parts, would be formed like this. The potential from all 3 working together… well, it was almost unpredictable how much potential that kind of party would have. And with the way things were, the world would greatly benefit from such a union.**

 **"Yay, awesomesauce!" Neptune cheered as she threw her arms up into the air, Compa mirroring her actions as she jumped over to IF and got close to her space, "I hope we can be best friends, Iffy!" she cheered. Grabbing her hands and bouncing up and down.**

 **IF could only smile at the hyperactive preteen in armour right now, ignoring the strangeness of the situation since she figured that based off the expression of amusement Nico was wearing it was a common sight for him. She could only imagine the antics these three would get into, but instead of annoyance, IF found herself intrigued at the thoughts. "Sure, looking forward to it."**

* * *

"There we go, another chapter finished! Neptune cheered, throwing her arms up into the air as she hopped out her seat. "Lets take a small breather by getting some snacks!"

"Ooooh, I can do the cooking part Nep-Nep!" Compa exclaimed happily, getting a cheer fro the preteen before she and Compa left.

IF began playing on her phone while Histoire floated over to Noire, intending to discuss with her some political business while she was here.

In the end, activity began to swell within the living room... the norm, anyways.


	10. Chapter 10 - Reading Chapter 9

"Allllrightie then!" Neptune cheered merrily, throwing her arms into the air as she waved them about, getting the others' attention. "Now that we've had our small break, and me with my beautiful pudding fix." Everyone grimaced at that, seeing the Neptune sized pile of Pudding cups, empty, beside her seat. "Lets get back to the story!"

"You sure we shouldn't ask Nep-Nep to clean up after herself?" Compa questioned, breathing slightly heavily due to the amount of journeys she had to make to get those puddings for the lazy CPU.

"Its Nep we're talking about, Compa." IF stated, begrudgingly. "It'll go in one ear and out the other." She then looked to the projector, a faint interest beginning to emerge from her gaze. "Though, I really wanna see the end of this arc before we go to bed."

"We have some time left before I have to return to Lastation, anyways." Noire interjected, smiling as she sat down on the sofa with Histoire floating beside her. Compa sat with IF, while Neptune remained on her lonesome...

That was probably due to the pudding pile she had going on, though.

With everyone seated, Histoire had the projector play the next chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 9 - Banshee Nest PT 2**

 **Later, after they had successfully recruited IF into the party, they began to venture deep into the Monster Cave, with IF having brought out a torchlight for lighting. With the newest addition to their ranks, the two energetic girls of the group walked in front with their armour still on, talking like the girls they were like they were instead of keeping their guard up. While Nico would have reminded them of the situation they were in, he couldn't fault them for trying to find some form of normalcy here. It was what kept them happy, and he liked seeing them smile. It was much better than seeing them sad, he would readily admit that to himself.**

 **Not sure if he would say it out loud after all.**

* * *

"Hmmm, the tsundere is strong in this one..."

"Nep-Nep, why do you have a mask that looks similar to that edgy dark ruler in light wars?"

* * *

 **"Say, how did you come to meet those two anyways?" IF asked while she walked beside him, eyeing him curiously. She had figured that he was the one who supplied those two with the armour and weapons they possessed, but was curious on the 'why' more so than the 'how' currently, although she was curious about a lot of things about him. Out of all the Spec-Ops agents she had heard of, Nico codename DEATHSTROKE was the least known amongst them, very reclusive and stuck to solo missions. There was a time when he had done group operations before, but usually they were because he had little options in the matter. "It's hard to imagine those two constantly fighting on the front lines, I mean, look at them. They're taking this like an everyday walk in the park."**

 **The male regarded the brunette, wondering what to tell her. She had just happened them and he didn't know much about her. Usually his instincts told him to be tight-lipped about such matters, as more than a few times he had spilled the beans to some people, only for them to do something sinister and betray others in the end. It wasn't an uncommon practice, Guild Agents betraying and killing each other off while saying that monsters had killed them instead. It was always a power struggle with them, wanting fame and fortune from the Guild and recognition by the CPUs. It was why he hardly associated with anyone other than a select few.**

* * *

"Wow, that sounds quite serious..." IF muttered, frowning as Nico thought that. "Yet, I can totally see some people doing this. There can be a few... overzealous followers, it happens in any religion."

Nobody disagreed with her on this... especially since Noire had some of the most hardcore fans around.

* * *

 **Glancing at the girls ahead of them, Nico made a choice, before looking back to her as he replied. "Me and Compa go way back when. She and I first met when I was 11, and a first she was shy and timid around me, but eventually I got her to warm up to me. Now, we're really close with each other." He explained to her, remembering how he had met the girl for the first time. 'She'd been so shy back then, hiding behind the leg of her grandfather when I was first brought to her household.' He mused mentally, chuckling mildly at the memories in his head.**

 **"As for Neptune, well… when I first saw her she looked like a human Excalibur kissing the ground, literally." He began, recalling how he and Compa found the amnesiac buried head first into the ground. "We got her out, treated her, and by the time I arrived back to check in on them, I saw Compa giving Neptune some…" he had to clear his throat at the awkwardness that those memories brought back, "bandage care, though it looked more like… something else."**

* * *

"Heeeeeeyyyy…" Compa pouted, stressed tears in the corners of her eyes as everyone gave her looks. "Its not easy bandaging people. Its really hard, grandpa wouldn't even lemme practice on him!"

"I suddenly feel a lot more respect towards Compa's grand dad..."

"Hm? You say anything Nep-Nep?"

"Nope, not a thing!"

Noire then interjected, unknowingly saving Neptune from a repeat performance with the Nurse. "I'm rather curious why he didn't try to link back to that time when Neptune got all... clingy, according to what I read." she wondered, a light tinge of red on her cheeks as she recalled that scene.

More embarrassingly, she could totally see her... friend... doing something similar just for the lols. She did do so in HDD form against Uni's friend Steamax after all.

* * *

 **At the tone, he used at the end, IF raised a brow in surprise, before looking at Compa warily. "Sounds like a colourful group of people there. Though I'm not sure what I should feel with that last bit…" deciding to not think about it, IF shook her head and moved on. "Well, you brought them here, so they're your responsibility." She told him firmly, getting an equally form nod from him.**

 **"Hey uh guys, I was just wondering…" the sound of Neptune's voice broke them out of their conversation, as they turned to her to see that she was regarding Nico curiously, her head tilted with an index finger on her jaw. "I get that we have to find the queen and all, take out the leader of the mob and the rest are easy Pickens, basic gaming 101. But wouldn't it be helpful if we knew what it would look like?"**

 **After she asked that, there was a short silence as they contemplated the question. Finally, IF hummed to herself. "Huh… not a bad question, Nep, which is surprising coming from you." She remarked thoughtfully while cupping her chin and looking down, deep in thought.**

 **"Heeeeey, there was an insult there, wasn't it? don't try to hide it, lord Nep-Nep has her eye on you!"**

 **"Huh? Did you say something, Nep?"**

 **"Grrr!"**

* * *

"Geez." Neptune began after a minor chuckle escaped her lips. "Someone here likes their mainstream anime. Pretty sure that's from Nauto."

"You mean that show with an abundance of filler episodes?" Noire questioned.

"Yeppers!

* * *

 **Nico watched the teasing that IF was giving Neptune and her responses to it with an amused twinkle in his eyes. It looked like IF was getting along well with them already, and that made her a decent person in his books. Neptune and Compa were the epitome of innocence in his mind, so those who wished them harm were nothing but scum to him. He was happy that IF wasn't like those people, that his instincts about her paid off.**

 **Neptune was pouting deeply at the brunette who was smirking back at her, a complete opposite reaction to her words. But then, she noticed something that stopped her pouting in its tracks, changing her expression to one of curiosity and confusion, plus a little dosage of surprise. "Hold on a sec." she hummed in thought as her brain tried to process the words IF had said to her, and after a few seconds it hit her. "I just noticed this now, but… is Nep, me?"**

 **The brunette rolled her eyes, while Nico merely covered his smirk with his hand while stifling his chuckles. 'About time you noticed, girl. A little slow on the uptake there, Neptune…' he thought to himself, finding her 'slow-on-the-uptake' quirk to be quite humorous. Nico didn't know why but something told him that he wasn't the only one who thought that. (Looking at you Neptune fans.)**

* * *

"That's right, my fans!" Neptune exclaimed, laughing like some evil overlord while standing atop the sofa. "Succumb t the cuteness of the super Nep, mwahahahaha!" She even had changed her clothes to that of a stereotypical evil supervillain. dark coat, high collar, a mask, etc.

For the sake of their sanity, everyone chose to ignore her.

* * *

 **"You call me Iffy, so why not? Anyways, your right that we would need an idea of what this thing looks like, but even more so we need a plan for how we're going to fight it." IF told her, before switching her gaze to their sole male member who was already searching through his Void Storage through a Holographic screen. "Something tells me you have an idea of how to proceed though."**

 **After finding what he wanted in his Void Storage, Nico looked up and smirked at them. "Why yes I do. I like to be prepared for any situation when going on Quests like these. Banshees don't like fire or light, so I brought some flares and various materials to make fiery bombs. We can use them to trap and weaken the Queen enough for a few of your Demon Flames spells to finish it off. If that doesn't work we always have the old-fashioned way." To further empathise his plan, Nico raised a hand to his face and deployed one of his Plasma Claws. The glow of his weapon illuminated his Mask, with his sole eye set into a firm stare which pronounced an intimidating appearance.**

 **The girls shuddered at the sight, but more important than that, they felt their fears of the Banshee Queen melt away slightly, knowing that they had a plan for dealing with it. "Alright that solves one problem," IF noted down verbally. While this was happening, they had reached a large chamber deep within the Dungeon. This Chamber was darker than the other tunnels, which made vision difficult. Several scents whiffed into Nico's Nostrils, scents that quickly put him on high alert. "The next issue is what the hell this thing looks like. Hey Nico, what are you doing?"**

 **After finishing her second query, IF had noticed the male manipulating his Bracer. The male answered while also pulling an item out of his Void Storage, holding his hand out as the item manifested into it. When the item fully manifested, the brown-haired Guild Agent quickly realised what it was, but before she could speak Nico beat her to it. "A Sonic Grenade, meant to make an explosion of sound, nothing that affects humans but it's extremely lethal to those with enhanced hearing." He explained, internally adding 'good thing my armour protects my ears from these things, had to make mods to it when I first tried these out.'**

* * *

"Interesting… so, these things don't like light, huh?" IF mused, cupping her chin in thought. "So, does that mean they prefer night time to travel about?"

Noire nodded her head in agreement with the Guild Agent. She too had an analytical look on her face as she digested this information. Though, she did have to admit that Nico did look... kind of cool, in that pose.

Not like she cared or anything.

* * *

 **"The Banshee Queen won't be affected as it has special coating over its ears to protect it but this isn't for her, this is for her royal Guard."**

 **Pulling the pin, Nico quickly threw into the centre of the chamber, as well as pulled out what looked like a flashbang and threw that in for good measure. The two handheld grenades exploded, a mix of sound and light encasing the entire rom. The flashbang seemed to act as a flare, giving them enough light to see where they were going. While the Banshee Queen would be weak to light it was also able to hide away in time having used the Hivemind to get info ahead of time. The royal guards who protect her though weren't so lucky.**

 **Screeches and shrieks filled their ears as several creatures dropped down from the ceiling, hissing and screaming in agony while motioning like they were covering their ears. Thanks to the light they could see that the creatures looked like Banshees, only they had long tails that had ended in blade-like Tipp, their arms were encased in chitinous armour, along with their heads. Their wings didn't have the scattered facial features that their brethren had, but they did have portable mouths still.**

 **"Be wary guys!" Nico yelled as he deployed his Plasma Claws, getting into a combat stance. "Even disoriented, these guys are a heckova lot stronger than the Banshee Warriors that we faced earlier!" he told them while the creatures, numbering at 5, regained their bearings and growled.**

 **IF looked at Nico and asked. "Why do these guys look slightly different from the others? They look tougher than the average ones." She pointed towards them, or to be more specific, the slight differences in their appearances.**

 **As a Spec Ops Agent, Nico had an answer on standby. "They're called B. Banshees. B stands for Beta, which is just below the rank of Alpha which belongs to the Queen!" the male snorted as he said this like it was venom. "It's their hierarchy, the Queen's the Alpha and the rest are like Betas."**

 **They couldn't talk further, for the Beta Banshees all attacked them at once. The party was forced to scatter, 2 going after Nico since he was the one that had forced them out of hiding and the rest going after the girls, 1 each. Nico parried the claws of one Banshee and ducked under the Tail swipe of another he swung his claws in fast swipes, trying to get a hit on them but they both expertly blocked and evaded his attacks, countering with their own.**

 **Fighting these Beta Banshees was like fighting expert martial artists, they excelled at close combat and were efficient at dealing with prey with their claws. Their tails were also extremely deadly, for they could use them as stingers to inject fertilised embryos into their prey when they were defeated. They were far superior to their lesser Banshee counterparts, who may have similar combat styles, but these guys had the advantage of Tails, they didn't.**

 **IF flipped back to avoid a claw swipe, landing in a one-handed kneeling position while sliding to a halt. She swiftly switched out her free hand's weapon, her Qatar sliding back into her Sleeves while a pistol slid out into her hand. She began firing at the enemy in their faces, which was difficult thanks to their armoured heads. Fortunately, her opponent made a mistake an ended up getting a couple shots in some of its many eyes, electing furious screeches from them as they flew at her from an angle.**

 **To counter, IF got into a one-handed handstand, pushing herself with great strength into the air to avoid a claw that would have stabbed her from the head downwards. The claw harmlessly stabbed into the ground, and IF quickly fired on its wings a few times, before coming down in a continuous flip and slamming both her feet into its head. She then bounced of fit, flipping once before her landing, which lasted only for a second while she charged forth, intent to cut its head off with her remaining Qatar. However, the creature curled its wings in front of it, blocking her strike much to her chagrin.**

 **After it forced her back by pushing its wings outward with a shriek, IF saw its wings beginning to bubble, a clear indication that it was about to fire something. It was only for a millisecond though before she found herself having to flip about erratically, trusting her instincts like they were her lifeline as she avoided a barrage of Shards from them. When the barrage ended, IF looked herself over and found several scratches and minor injuries over her person, some of them going through her coat, top and shorts. "Tch, a tenacious bastard, aren't you?" she remarked with a small smirk, before switching her Pistol for her other Qatar as she charged again.**

* * *

"And once again, Iffy is on POINT with her super fast skills!" Neptune announced like a professional commentator. Eve had a mike and everything. "She turns left, then turns right, before she turns up!"

"Turns up?" Compa questioned.

"Yeppers!"

In the background, the accompanying beat began playing out of nowhere.

"Uhhh..." IF began, before shaking her head and deciding to ignore that like everyone else did.

* * *

 **Going to Neptune, she and Compa had the bright idea to team up, Neptune keeping them away from Compa by attacking them both with her Armblades while the Nurse-In-Training kept them at bay. The purplette in armour panted heavily as her arms hung at her sides. "Phew, these cool blades take some getting used to…" she mused, looking down at the Armblades, more specifically the plasma edge and talons. "Still feels cool though. I feel like that black-haired swordsman who-"**

 **"Nep-Nep above you!"**

 **Her monologing was stopped when an alert from her friend made her look up and cross her Armblades together, like an X. This allowed her to block an overhead claw slash from a B. Banshee while the other tried to whack her with its Tail. However, she sidestepped it and allowed her first enemy to fall to the ground, clashing with her second enemy while the first was hit many times from Compa's forearm mounted Armcannons.**

 **Neptune and the B. Banshee swiftly exchanged blows, the creature mixing its Tail into its attacks while the preteen amnesiac parried and slashes with her Armblades. "Take that! And that! And that! Hah! She exclaimed, making battle sounds during each slash. "Oh, didn't see this coming!" Neptune the ducked under one swing and tripped the B. Banshee up, and before it could stabilise itself with its wings Neptune swiftly kicked it away, the enemy rolling across the ground.**

 **Spinning around, she saw that the first B. Banshee had gotten closer to Compa despite her launching an endless volley of Plasma Needles at it. Not wanting it to get to close to her friend, Neptune charged in from behind. "Hey, ya big bully!" she yelled, getting its attention a she jumped and aimed a flying kick at its head. "Dynamic entry!" her attack hit the side of its head, sending it tumbling sideways away from the Nurse-In-Training, who could only sweat drop with a weak smile.**

 **"Thanks, and all, Nep-Nep… but did you have to reference that guy in green with bushy eyebrows?"**

* * *

"Hohohoho, how little you understand, my apprentice Compa." Neptune remarked, laughing haughtily... before putting on some fake large eyebrows she pulled forth from her hoodie. "I do so love the Bushy Brows!" she proclaimed, gluing them on. They even wiggled in a rather... weird way.

Everyone sweat dropped.

* * *

 **Back to Nico, the male rolled his eyes at the references Neptune was making. 'Even in combat Neptune likes to make references and memes. Well, makes her an interesting person to fight with, at least…' he thought while blocking a slash to his head. He then pushed the B. Banshee back and jumping into the air. Its partner jumped at him as well, intending to cleave him in too had Nico not spun into a roundhouse kick, hitting it in the side of the head and sending it crashing to the ground.**

 **The B. Banshee below quickly spread its wings intending to fire Spikes at him, however Nico acted first, swan diving down at it and raising his right Plasma Claw. Bringing it down, he managed to cut through both its right wing and its arm, the sounds of its screeches being his company as he deactivated his right Plasma Claw, slamming it into the ground and pushing into the air again, allowing him to flip into an upright position before landing once again.**

 **Turning to see his Handiwork, Nico grinned as he saw the wounds he'd made on the B. Banshee, wounds that had already burned and closed, keeping any possibility of healing from happening. He wasn't sure if these guys had healing or not, these creatures always had unexpected mutations that threw off the Guild Researchers, but that wasn't important right now as he reared his left Plasma Claw back and charged, going in low while dragging his weapon through the ground, making sparks fly as he generated a powerful energy charge from his actions.**

 **When he was close enough, the male raised his Plasma Claw for an upward swipe before the B. Banshee could recover, slicing it right up the middle. The creature gave one last dying shriek, alerting its brethren of its demise as it fell to the ground, dissipating into Particles. Its partner shrieked in anger, its Tail swaying wildly in response to its anger at him for killing its sister.**

 **Nico turned to face it once again, his mouth smirking behind the Mask of his armour. "Alright, next?" he asked, making the 'come here' gesture with one finger. The B. Banshee shrieked, taking the challenge as it ran towards him, making slight stomping sounds as it ran at him with the ferocity of a berserk Ravager. And yeah, those were a thing at least in THIS Gamindustri. Not so sure about the Cannon Gamindustri or the other Fanfiction made ones.**

* * *

"So..." Noire began, eyes glinting. "We get confirmation that this is a different Gamindustri to the one that we exist in."

Histoire nodded. "Not surprising, there are different Gamindustri's and different dimensions, so a darker Gamindustri isn't out of the question."

* * *

 **The male charged back as well, activating his right Plasma Claw to go along with his left. The two met in the middle, colliding in a furious bout of claw swipes. Each was blocked, dodged or parried at a speed that surpassed that of the battles the girls were having. Raising a claw to diagonally block a strike to his shoulder, Nico thrusted a claw to its chest that it swiped to the side, the male using the momentum to spin into a knee to its abdomen. It responded by doing the same as him, using its Tail which had the same reach as his leg, the two colliding with a mighty shockwave released into the air.**

 **Breaking off, the B. Banshee fired many Spikes from its wings, making him jump into the air. It flared its wings and took off after him, soon parrying several claw swipes from the male before using its Tail to swipe at his stomach. Nico however, twisted his leg like it was a wheel in front of him, hooking it around the Tail as it neared him, before flipping forwards and flinging it down to the ground.**

 **His chance presented itself and Nico quickly activated one of his Skills. "PHANTOM BLADES!" he spread his arms out, and the magic circle appeared, launching the Phantom blades at the B. Banshee while it was down. The creature tried to move out the way, but dodged all but the last one which impaled one of its wings, exploding and taking the wing with it. the B. Banshee shrieked in pain at the loss of its wing, slowly getting up and gripping the stump to try and lessen the pain somehow. Though it was a wasted effort.**

 **With his landing where the enemy once lay, Nico pivoted around to charge at the enemy, his Plasma Claws poised to strike. The B. Banshee noticed him just in the nick of time, and quickly parried both of his attacks, the two trading blows faster than the eye could see. The male was slightly impressed at this. 'Heh, I must admit, if this thing can fight like this even with the loss of a wing, then it must have received 'that' from the Queen.' He thought to himself. 'However...'**

 **"Your wide open!" Nico suddenly launched a scissor kick out of nowhere, ending up hitting it in its mouth which sent it back a few steps. Nico then followed up with another Skill, a Magic circle appeared under his feet, which began to pulse with a faint purple aura. His eye narrowed into a deadly stare. "You like to have fangs, right? Well, how about these then?! PHANTOM WAVE!"**

 **With the calling of his Skill, Nico made a kick in a diagonal angle like kicking a football, and from it a large crescent wave of plasma energy was unleashed from his foot. Faintly one could see the silhouette of a Shark bouncing out from its hiding place behind him into a large open mouth lunge. The attack hit the B. Banshee head on, making it shriek in agony as it was ripped apart from the attack.**

 **Lowering his leg as the skill ended, the Magic Circle vanishing, Nico chuckled darkly while he turned away from what remained of the creature as it vanished. "Heh, the fangs of a monster outmatch anything else." He remarked while flicking his arms downward to disengage his Plasma Claws.**

* * *

"... one weird one-liner coming from Nicky, check."

* * *

 **"That's a… unique one liner, Nicky." The sound of Neptune's voice with the teasing undertone made Nico look up, seeing that the girls had come over to him having dealt with their enemies already. "You think that one up all by yourself?"**

 **The male shook his head while chuckling behind his Mask. They couldn't see it, but he was impressed with them. "Meh. Anyways, good job fighting those things, shows that you've all got the skill to fight things matching a Spec-Ops Agent. However," his eyes narrowed when a rumbling sound came from below them. He knew what was coming, this had only been a part of the hell they were experiencing. "It's far from over yet, the main guest is going to arrive soon."**

* * *

"The final boss, at last yaaaaay!" Compa cheered happily, sensing the end of these creatures coming. She wanted to see them gone already, they were just too disgusting for her to stomach much longer.

Nobody disagreed with her, if the looks of excitement on their faces were any indication.

* * *

 **Ever had the feeling that you would meet something worse than one's worse nightmares could create? Well, that was the feeling that the girls were getting right now. The Banshees alone were scary enough, enough to give even experienced war veterans nightmares for days on end, but what they were feeling right now coming from, what they attributed to the Banshee Queen itself as it began heading towards them from… somewhere, made that terror seem as small and mild as an ant in comparison.**

 **"Um, is it just me or does the air feel colder for some reason?" Neptune asked with a shudder, fear and panic slowly rising within the deepest pits of her stomach… and those were deep pits in themselves, so if she could feel it from down there then it must be serious. "Cause I'mma getting the hibbejibbees…"**

 **Compa shook her head in denial, shaking her head as she clenched her fists. She needed more comfort than that so she gripped her forearms instead, trying to find solace in the armour that was fitted around her frame. "I-I-it's not just y-y-y-y-you, Nep-Nep…" she stuttered with a similar shudder. "I-I-I-I feel it, t-t-t-t-too…"**

 **Shaking her head at the two, IF focused on her surroundings. "Keep on guard everyone," she yelled to the group, all of them save for Nico going back to back. The male wasn't worried right now, since he'd faced foes much tougher than this. "We don't know what will happen once your highness comes over, so be prepared!"**

 **In that moment, a hand burst out the ground. The flare that Nico had launched earlier was beginning to wear off, so he took another one and threw it into the air, reigniting their light. The second afterwards another hand burst out as they slammed into the ground, digging into it as they pulled the rest of the new arrival out of the earth, revealing its form to them all.**

 **"Oh… My… Neps…"**

 **"Holy Goddesses…"**

 **"Now that's… a big bug…"**

 **Neptune, Compa and IF all made their comments in that order once they faced their new enemy as it shook off the dirt from its body before it glowered at them. If they thought the Banshees from before were ugly, then this thing looked like an abomination. It stood at 12 feet tall, with a pair of long, bipedal legs that matched the appearance of the Banshees earlier, only they were slimmer and more… feminine. Its main body was reminiscent of a humanoid, but with a skeletal appearance. Scary thing was, that its chest was decorated with many deformed faces, all frozen in screams of agony and varying in size.**

 **The arms were thin and weak-looking, but they all knew it was nothing but a mask to hide how much of a wallop they would pack. Especially with the Banshees they have already fought. The hands were just, hands, matching the arms in appearance, but with short-sword length talons. Out of its back were, unlike the regular Banshees, a pair of tattered wings that had multiple wing talons with opposable thumbs. The top half of their webbing was black like most of its body, but closer to the bottom specs of purple can be seen. Out the base of the spine was a long tail that looked like the extension of the human spinal column, ending in a long blade-like stinger. Finally, its head was reminiscent of the regular Banshees, but with 4 antennae coming out the top of its head and a full twisted chitinous crest.**

* * *

"WHOA, DUUUUUUUUUDEEEEE!" Neptune shrieked, falling backwards over and off her seat. She popped back up with a bandage on her head shaped like an X, but she didn't pay much heed to it. "That's one creepy bug!" Inside her mind, she couldn't help but be glad that her little Nep Jr wasn't here to see this.

"Ewwww, gross!" Compa squealed, grabbing IF and putting her on her lap. "Hide me, Iffy!"

"C-Compa?!" IF exclaimed with a red face, but the sight of the Banshee Queen brought back her earlier feelings of revulsion. "Geez, that thing is ugly! Kinda glad that thing ain't a part of our dimension."

"I can agree with you IF." Histoire commented, frowning in concern while trying to hide how disgusted this creature made her. Se wondered how the author got inspiration for such a creature.

Noire shuddered, her skin becoming slightly paler. She didn't like bugs in general, few girls did (Adult Neptune being an exception) but this thing made her want to run for the hills and pray to never see one again. Though, she wouldn't lower herself like that, it was beneath her pride as Lastation's CPU.

Still, UGH!

* * *

 **"Okay, that's… a monster." IF commented, she'd never fought something like this before. Usually the monster she'd face weren't all that threatening, heck she would be the first to say that they looked more adorable than threatening… plus their weirdness discounted any fear they might have generated with their reputation. But this, THIS looked like a real freaking monster. Was this what Spec Ops agents went through daily? Challenging opponents like this? She could see why they would be so techy then, and how they would need to be the best of the best in terms of their skillsets.**

 **Compa shook slightly as she held her Syringe. Just before she could open her mouth to say something however, the beast reared its head back and let out a mighty shriek/roar sound, making everyone save for Nico cover their ears. When it stopped, the creature began to run at them, its feet making moderate booming sounds as it stomped towards them. "Eh?! It's like the others, it doesn't wait for the battle to begin!"**

 **Its first target was, low and behold, the Nurse-In-Training herself. Compa eeped as she tried to roll to the side to dodge, only for the creature to be too fast, and thus managed to slam its claw into her stomach. The armour she wore stopped it from being a fatal blow, but it didn't stop it from hurting like a thousand volts of electricity. She screamed while being sent flying away, finally slamming into a section of the cave wall with enough impact to create a large indent in it. "Kya!" she cried out.**

 **The Banshee Queen roared as it ran towards her to finish it off, when suddenly it sensed danger and swiftly jumped back, avoiding a Plasma Claw slash to its face. The wielder, a very pissed off Nico, landed in a crouching motion while his comrades attacked in his stead. Neptune went and slashed at its feet only for its Tail to block her attempts, while IF made to activate her DEMON FLAMES Skill.**

 **Heat began to gather below it, and the creature gave a hiss as it rolled to the sides, avoiding the Skill and everything associated with it, much to the girl's shock. "What?! How can it avoid my Skill like that?!" IF screamed as it got up and flicked its Tail in their direction. From it, a series of Spikes were launched, flying with the intent to impale and kill. The Girls barely managed to get out their way in time, but the places they landed in became small craters from the impact. "Monsters' can't move like that, it's almost like it predicted my Skill's activation!"**

* * *

"Okay, Hax! I'm calling hax!" Neptune shouted, puffing her cheeks. "These monsters are breaking the rules!"

"Well, these things have been known to do that, Nep." IF commented, though she seemed pretty frustrated herself. The fact that her other couldn't hit it with her Skill, something she took great pride in, irritated the woman to no end.

* * *

 **"Likely it did!" Nico's voice rang out as he ran at the beast, avoiding its slashes and going for its legs. It twisted itself out of danger though, and made to spin its Tail into a Tail swipe to his back. Nico could dodge this by jumping into the air and back flipping over the Tail, stabbing one of his Plasma Claws into it. The Banshee Queen shrieked in anger as it swung its Tail about to get him off, but his Plasma Claw stuck to it like glue. "Banshee Queens are usually the most intelligent of their species, they have to be so they can lead their Hives effectively. It likely analysed us though our previous battles with her children and learned of our tactics!"**

 **Hearing his words, Neptune groaned in dismay, not too fond of an enemy that could plan like they could. "Well ain't that just chipper?" she remarked with heavy Sarcasm, her Armblades scratching the ground when she dragged them across it. "Then what shall we do about it?" she yelled back before they quickly jumped away to avoid an overhead Tail smash.**

 **Using this, Nico flipped off the monster's Tail and back pedalled to Compa, the Party regrouping as they faced off against the Banshee Queen, which hissed in challenge as it stomped towards them, Tail swishing behind it. "I have a plan, but for it to work I need to be the bait for it to focus its attention all on me, while you girls hit its openings." Nico said.**

 **Compa turned her head to look at him, and if she weren't in her armoured state Nico would have seen how displeased she was with the idea. "What?! Ni-Ni, that's crazy!" she protested, the preteen amnesiac nodding in agreement, but before she could continue her protest she felt a hand clasp onto her armoured shoulder. "Eh?" turning her head, Compa saw that it was IF who grabbed her, and she was giving her a level stare and a shake of the head. "Iffy?"**

 **"DEATHSTROKE's got the right idea, the way I see it he has the most experience fighting monsters like these, more experience than even me… Though it's hard to admit that." She said, grimacing at the last part. She didn't like admitting to another that someone was stronger than her, but in this case, she had no other option. She could tell that this creature had her outclassed in both strength, speed and stamina from their short collision earlier, so any plan that DEATHSTROKE, a Spec Ops Agent who was more equipped for this situation, would be one she would adhere to.**

 **The cream haired girl wanted to protest further, but she stopped because now that she thought about it, IF had a point. Nico had more experience in these types of situations, more so than IF who may have been a Guild Agent longer than him, but she handled only the normal monsters, the ones that Nico fought were on a whole different level, both in abilities and in horror. A defeated sigh escaped her lips before she looked to him, her eyes forming a determined gaze behind her helmet, "Just make sure you don't die, Ni-Ni, I'll never forgive you if you do!"**

 **At this, the male chuckled in amusement, before giving her a smile. "I'll try, Compa." Was all he said, before looking to the Banshee Queen which was close to them, about to raise its claw for an overhead slam. Nico swiftly activated his PHANTOM BLADES skill, sending the blades at it to stop its progress and make it stumble back. "Sorry bitch, but you're gonna get owned." The male snarled with his lone eye narrowing darkly. "Have a PHANTOM WAVE!" he swung his leg like he was kicking football, sending the wave of purple energy into the creature, further stunning it.**

 **With that done, Nico took his chance and charged at it. His mind raced with options for what kind of weapon he would use on this thing as his Plasma Claws wouldn't cut it. True most of his arsenal was Plasma Based, but he needed something with a big amount of force behind it. 'Hmmm, usually blunt weapons would work best here, its shoulders are the weak spot when using blunt weaponry, but they're not my forte so I don't use them… hmmm… wait, I know!'**

 **Using all his experiences with his Armour, Nico activated the Void Storage ability on his right Bracer, swiping his other hand across the holographic inventory screen, swiftly selecting the weapon he would need to use to emerge victorious, while flipping over the creature's claw swipes and Tail smashes as he lured it away from the Girls, who split off into multiple directions. His Plasma Claws were disengaged as he swiftly reached behind him for one of the Holsters on his back, the diagonal one, a purple stream of data swirling into a vortex inside his hand as the weapon he chose took physical form.**

 **Just as the Banshee Queen had jumped into the air and tried to stomp on him when it came down, his weapon was fully formed and he used it to deflect the attack, causing the creature to fall onto its side from the lack of balance. The male jumped back and landed in a crouch, one hand on the ground to slow his movement to a halt with his weapon now in hand. It was revealed to be a massive Claymore with a heavy double-edged blade, notched on both sides near the tip. The pommel was a plain one, with a plain grip, but the guard is skeletal, with a skull-design on each side leading to the rib cage from which the blade emerged; on one side of the blade, the skull is that of a human, while the other uses a horned demon's skull. Lastly was the cross guard that was folded inward against the Ribs of the blade.**

 **The blade had a static aura around it, HF Technology having been outfitted into the blade itself to give it an increased damage effect. Both its edges were constantly crackling to enhance its dangerous appearance. Plasma energy canisters were located on the bottom of the grip to supply it with more Plasma Energy. Nico grinned behind his Mask as he got into a Stance, muttering to himself. "Hello Rebellion, been a while since I drew you. Looks like it's your turn to play."**

* * *

"Whoooooaaaaaa…" Neptune whistled at the sight of the blade. "I think that blade's from that one franchise with a white haired half demon killing other demons."

"S-Scary..." Compa shuddered, holding her waist. She didn't like the sinister appearance of the blade, she just kept getting the feeling of being drawn into its gaze enough to be sliced apart.

Compa wasn't the only one to be scared either, as IF, Noire and Histoire all shuddered at the sinister blade's appearance. Each of them didn't like how it looked like it would kill them as soon as they looked at it wrongly.

* * *

 **Rebellion was a special sword, a magical sword that was not made by any military or the WDD. This sword was found by Nico himself one day when travelling back from a mission to the Guild. He'd been stressed out at the time because of the things he'd seen on that mission, but when his Bracer detected some ruins nearby, he had gone and investigated them, leading to him finding the sword buried within the crypt of someone who had long since passed.**

 **The moment he saw it however, the blade seemed to thrum with life, as if it were calling to him. When he'd touched the blade, Nico had not been expecting for what seemed to be a message to be burned into his brain. It was: 'To whom may pick up my blade. I name you the successor to my will. Heed my words, for this sword, Rebellion, contains the strength of over 1000 demons, slain by my hand. Wield it well, and its power will be yours to command.'**

 **Boy was the message right, as not long afterwards he'd been faced with dozens of living skeletons, demons and other Monsters as he fought with Rebellion, understanding what it could do, and what the message was trying to tell him. When he'd returned to the Guild at last, he had asked to study the blade and have it outfitted with HF technology, before adding it to his lethal arsenal. It was a pain, they said, for the blade seemed unusually... resistant, to the changes, until he watched it during the fitting. It seemed to be... settled with him nearby, so the researchers were convinced that it had some form of sentience. Though he didn't mind, as the blade seemed to see him as a worthy wielder, and that was enough for him.**

 **The Banshee Queen screamed with rage as it got up again, glaring at Nico with utmost hate as it launched a series of spikes at him. The male's hidden grin only widened as he reared Rebellion back and swung sideways, cutting the first of the deadly spikes, slashed the opposite way a second later, then sidestepped the third one. He saw several more coming his way, so Nico pressed a button on the Claymore's hilt, and the static around the edges began to decrease in stability. "Heh, time for a little CHARGE!" he yelled, swinging sideways and allowing the energy to launch itself as a wave of static.**

 **His attack shattered the Spikes coming his way, and headed towards the Banshee Queen. It barely rolled out the way in time, having sensed the danger that the wave possessed and instinctively tried to avoid it. Then, when it was on all fours while trying to get up, it was forced to put its Tail before its face to stop a slash from slicing through its head. Nico grunted as Rebellion was pressed against the Tail, its HF Blade constantly grinding against it. The Banshee Queen groaned and growled as it saw the Tail slowly being sliced through by the blade, its pain receptors screaming at it in notification.**

 **Before he could slice the Tail off, the Banshee Queen screeched as it took to the skies, pushing the blade in a harmless direction as it tried to get some distance between them. The creature then made to dive at him with the intent of skewering him with its talons, only for a barrage of thin Plasma Needles to hit it in the sides. It screeched in anger and looked to the source, finding Compa having aimed her Armcannons at the enemy with a deadly steel to her tone. "Stop trying to hurt my Ni-Ni!" she yelled with several tick marks over her head.**

* * *

"Yaaaaayyyy, go me!" Compa cried in happiness. She even had a few flags with her own head imprinted onto them as she waved them about excitedly. She stood up and bounced up and down at the sight of her other getting into the fight. "Take those nasty bugs out, me!"

* * *

 **With fury in its eyes, the Banshee Queen roared as it charged down at her, intending to cleave the girl in two. However, someone else had jumped up and slashed at one of its wings, knocking it off course and to the ground. It stumbled to its feet, glancing at its damaged wing to note that it wouldn't be useful for a while if it survived this encounter. It looked to the one responsible, and saw that it was Neptune with her Armblades empowered by her HDD energy.**

 **Another Shriek came from its lips as it made to charge at her, only for something to happen that stopped it. The Banshee Queen froze, no longer being able to move. Confused and now a little scared along with its anger, it looked down to see a purple Magic Circle under it. Identifying the colour to the wielder, it turned its head to see Nico stabbing Rebellion into the ground, his lone eye gleaming with malice and dark amusement. "Sorry bitch, like I said, you were going to get owned, now to show you how. CHAINS OF HEPHAESTUS!"**

 **From the Magic Circle, purple coloured Chains of pure Plasma Purple Energy burst out, wrapping around and restraining the Banshee Queen, halting any mobility it had earlier. it couldn't even move its Tail, which was its only source of ranged offence it had since unlike the Banshees it made, its wings were designed more for flight than combat.**

* * *

"Nepu... "

"What was that? Do you know Iffy?"

"How should I know, i'm not all knowing."

"Hmmm, that's an interesting Skill..." Histoire commented, eyes glinting with a calculating gleam in them as she watched the Skill take effect. "It seems to focus on immobilizing enemies in chains, keeping them from both attacking and defending. Whether it works on all enemies remains to be seen however." she deduced, already wondering about the applications of such a Skill.

Maybe she should look into this further in private... food for thought later.

* * *

 **With the creature Bound, Nico pulled Rebellion out of the ground and ran towards the enemy, with Neptune following suit when she realised what he was planning. The two quickly sped up into a blurred motion, dashing past the Banshee Queen continuously while leaving countless cuts and lacerations across its body. first its arms, then its shoulders, back, tail and lastly its legs. It was screeching and roaring in agony as it tried in vain to defend itself, only to fail each time.**

 **'It's weakened enough for the final blow!' the Spec Ops Agent thought while turning towards the brunette. "IF, now!" the Guild Agent nodded in affirmation before activating her DEMON FLAMES Skill, bombarding the Banshee Queen with fire based damage. By the time the Skill ended, the creature was horribly charred and damaged beyond recognition, with its wings reduced to soot, its Tail burned to nothingness down to the base and its body full of cauterised holes.**

 **Deciding to hold off on using his explosive bombs, Nico chose to jump towards the near-dead Banshee Queen's head with Rebellion dangerously crackling with electricity all the while. By the time he was at its face, the male was glaring into the many eyes it possessed, while the Banshee Queen did its best to glare back. Even now when its demise was immanent, it would not falter before its enemy. 'Well, the bitch is a leader till the end, at least…' the male thought to himself before raising his Claymore and bringing it down, ending the beast's life when his blade cut its head clean in half through the middle.**

* * *

That slash also apparently worked on the tension in the room, as everyone released a group exhale at the same time.

"Whew... looks like that bug's been dealt with." IF remarked, getting a nod from Noire.

"Its about damn time, that bug needed to 'bug out' if you know what I'm saying..." Neptune remarked, ignoring the stares she got from that bad pun.

* * *

 **The body fell limp onto the ground, motions ceased forever as it, like with all other monsters, disappeared in a flurry of white particles, signalling the battle to be over. The male stumbled back, heaving a sigh of relief before he stabbed Rebellion into the ground and using it as a makeshift stand to lean back on when he fell onto his backside. Lifting one leg to his chest, the male murmured with relief, his helmet splitting open in its usual manner. "At last, the threat is vanquished…"**

 **"Yay! Yippee! Huzaah! We did it guys, we beat the meanie monsters!" Neptune cheered as she dismissed her armour form, revealing her true appearance to the Brunette who hadn't seen it yet. "all because of our coolness! We're unstoppable!" she cheered as her friend Compa did the same.**

 **When her armour was gone, the Nurse-In-Training looked at everyone with concern. "It's over, so I need to ask if anyone's hurt. Nurse Compa will fix you up good, no matter how many owwies you have." She said happily, while everyone gave her wary looks. The way she said that with such casualness and a big smile on her face was… creepy, almost scary.**

 **"Well, at least the enemy's gone. We can report to the Guild that the mission's complete now, maybe make a recommendation for Guild Agents to watch out for any stragglers." IF mused in thought. She was not going to be fooled into thinking they killed all the Banshees, some of them must have fled into Virtua Forest or other Dungeons. It never hurt to be too cautious after all.**

 **She then turned to the armoured male, who was now closing his eyes to catch a small amount of rest. "Before you go to blissful sleep, Nico," she called out, making him open his eyes and turn his attention to her. "There's something I'd like to know. What was that skill you used? I've never seen such a skill be used before, usually Skills end up in large explosions for massive damage. True some leave status effects, but yours focused solely on binding."**

 **The male sighed, rolling one of his shoulders as he looked up at the ceiling. He figured there'd be no harm in telling her, after all it wasn't uncommon knowledge or anything too major. "Your right there, IF. It's a Skill I developed myself. Many Spec Ops Agents have their own unique Skills meant to counter the erratic behaviour of these stronger monsters. We even have a codename for them: 'Abnormal' due to their behaviour, appearance and abilities being so unlike the average monsters. CHAINS OF HEPHAESTUS: A Skill that focuses on Binding the enemy, and can work on practically any foe I meet. The only problem is that I need to magically 'mark' them for the Skill to work, and to do that I need to touch the enemy." He explained.**

* * *

Well, looked like her earlier thoughts now had more info to expand on, Histoire noted. She'd do some work on that later.

* * *

 **A light of comprehension entered IF's eyes as she digested this information. "Huh, I see… it makes sense to have these skills on hand, since these Abnormals don't follow the norms of Gamindustri Monsters." She admitted, cupping her chin in thought. With the success of this Skill, despite its flaw, she may have to see if she could learn some herself. They seemed to be filled to the brim with uses, uses that could possibly save her sorry hide in troublesome situations.**

 **All in all, she could realise why Spec Ops were well sought after.**

* * *

 **Chapter end!**

* * *

"Whelp, that's the end of the Chapter!" Neptune chirped. "Ready for the next?"

"Yeah/Yessie!"

"Do it, Histy!"

Histoire nodded, mentally irked at being ordered around (mostly because Neptune only acted like a proper leader when she wanted to) as she prepped the next chapter.


	11. Chapter 11 - Reading Chapter 10

"I wonder what the next chapter will be like..." Neptune mused, thoughtfully.

Noire huffed as she crossed her arms under her bust. "Probably something like making you do something idiotic..."

"Mou, that's rude Noire-poo! See this is why you don;t have any friennnds."

"Ah! I so too have friends! Uni, K-Sha, Steamax!"

"Uhh, two of those are actually friends with each other and not you... but anyways, lets stop talking the chapy's coming!"

* * *

 **Chapter 10 - You fudged up**

* * *

Histoire frowned worriedly at the title, something mirrored by the others. "That doesn't sound too good..."

"Odds are it involves Neptune in some way..." Noire remarked, earning a pout from the mentioned CPU.

"Heeeeeeey, Noiry, that's mean!"

Compa had tears in the corners of her eyes as she pouted at Noire, too. "Mou, please apologize to Nep-Nep, lady Noire..."

At first, Noire resisted, but under the two girls' efforts, she finally groaned and caved in. The two girls beamed happily afterwards.

* * *

 **"Hey, um, Iffy? Nicky? I picked this up before we fought that thing, and um…"**

 **Turning to Neptune, both Nico and IF raised their brows when they saw Neptune walking over to them, holding something in her hand. They couldn't see what it was until she handed it over to the brunette Guild Agent, who looked it over and showed it to Nico who was still on the ground, in his armour. The object looked to be a purple Disk-like object, and while it looked harmless, something about it just seemed… off. "It looks like a Disk…" she mumbled in confusion, before glancing upwards from the Disk and to the one who gave it to her. "Nep, where did you pick this up from?"**

 **"I dunno." She replied simply, shrugging her shoulders. Everyone face faulted, and before anyone could scold her about not looking where she would find things, Neptune pointed behind them where the platform connected to a chamber-like section of the Dungeon. "It was hanging on the wall over there."**

* * *

IF groaned, remembering this scene in the games. "Oh great, its THIS scene..."

"Huh?" Compa blinked in confusion before turning to the brunette curiously. "What do you mean, iffy?"

"You'll see, Compa..."

* * *

 **Nico looked to where she was pointing, and indeed saw something being held in the air by chains. His eyes narrowed at the something and then at the Disk in IF's hands. 'It was just hanging there, and my Scans didn't detect it? that alone seems to be a bad omen… if my scanners didn't detect it, it must mean this Disk is of foreign make, not of this Dungeon or maybe not even of this Landmass. The only other Nation I could think of with this technology would be Lastation, but with what I've heard from some sources there, the situation there has been detreating…'**

 **While the male was lost in his own thoughts and worries, IF gave the preteen a doubtful stare. She had trouble believing the bubbly girl, and it showed on her face. "Hanging on the wall? This Disk?" she asked dubiously, waving the Disk in front of her for empathise. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"**

 **'While I would agree with you, IF, you failed to notice the same things I did.' Nico thought with a sigh when he broke out his thoughts and heard what she said, knowing what was about to happen given the looks forming on the faces of the two girls… plus his own experiences with them. 'And, those girls will also be…'**

 **"What? Iffy, you don't believe me?" Neptune cried out in dismay, before she was on all fours with a cloud of depression over her forehead. "After all that we've been through…" she wept dramatically, causing sweat drops to form on the foreheads of the brunette and the red-haired male. Neptune immaturity level: over 9000!**

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **Yeah, let's not use that overused cliché meme.**

* * *

"Please do!" Everyone shouted, groaning (even the meme queen herself... Neptune I_I)

* * *

 **Compa puffed her cheeks as she glared at IF, who jumped at the intensity of the glare but maintained her composure. "You're so horrible, not believing Nep-Nep." She scolded, before walking over and comforting the depressed amnesiac. She was patting her on the upper back with a 'there, there' coming out of her mouth.**

 **Seeing this, all IF could do was sweat drop even more. Really, how did someone as renowned as Nico deal with these people before she came along? She was surprised he was still the voice of reason with these girls, with their antics. 'If I had to stay with these guys, I don't know how I would have coped… maybe I would have taken a lot of aspirin…' she remarked to herself. It was like looking at a pair of toddlers whining about how they didn't get their way.**

 **Just as he predicted, Nico saw how the situation began to spiral away from its once quiet, serene self which would be ideal for recovering after a vicious battle like that one, to the usual chaotic atmosphere that usually followed after Neptune's random antics, only encouraged by Compa's addition too the dynamic. 'I just realised, I forgot to use some of the items I said we could use before the battle started. Damnit, I should have known better, but hey, at least we've managed to defeat it without them.' Ever said you were going to do something, but then did something else?**

 **This was one of Nico's moments. Even he made mistakes, he was a sole man after all.**

* * *

Acknowledging those mistakes is the right choice, young man..." Histoire commented, nodding her head in approval.

IF nodded in agreement. "Not something that's easily done, either. I mean, just look at Nep."

"Hey! Is it a 'pick on Nep' day that i'm not aware of?!"

* * *

 **Suddenly, Neptune snapped out of her depression and stood up, glaring at IF with multiple tick marks around her head, her fists held in front of her chest and her eyes replaced with X's. How that could happen Nico didn't even bother with anymore, he'd learned to just roll with it at this point. "I know your name makes you question everything, but show me some love here!" she protested.**

 **Glancing to the male, IF gave him a stare that basically screamed 'and you deal with this all the time?' He nodded as well as responded with an even stare that stated 'Yep, and you too.' The brunette raised a brow and spoke with her stares again 'You have my condolences.' And he responded with a thankful stare that screamed 'thank you!' The two girls didn't notice this interaction though because of… reasons.**

 **Turning to the immature girls, IF grinded her teeth in irritation at the purplette after their stare down. She then released a breath, knowing that this girl had the maturity of a child, before she responded to those accusations. "That's not what my name means." She said, before opening her eyes and giving them a pointed stare. "And we only just met a short while ago."**

* * *

"Wow, IF..." Noire commented, eyes slightly wide before she gave an accusing glare towards the preteen and the Nurse. "Looks like you had your hands full with these two."

"Now you get what I went through with them, Lady Noire." IF stated, groaning in annoyance. While she had gotten used to it by now, sometimes it still bugged her when they got into their antics.

Neptune didn't look too happy as she flailed her arms about in frustration. "There really is a pick on Nep day, and today is it!"

* * *

 **What she did NOT expect was Neptune to switch tactics. She literally closed the distance between them in a second, nearly catching both her and Nico off guard with her speed, before she gave a pleading look combined with girls' strongest weapon: the puppy dog eyes! Heck, there were even sparkles in Neptune's eyes, making them even deadlier. "Iffy…" she droned, adding to her cuteness feel.**

 **Eventually, the fortress known as St IF collapsed as she gave a sigh of defeat, knowing that she wouldn't stop this tediousness until she did. "#Sigh# Okay, okay, I got it. I believe you." She relented, although a small smile was present on her face as she said that. It was more like a whimsical smile, one that a parent would make when giving in to their child's demands.**

 **Instantly, Neptune's happiness metres went through the roof! "Now that's my Iffy!" she cheered while stepping back a few times. She then cupped her cheeks with her hands and began wiggling her body around with various love hearts appearing around her head like rain, "Iffy has got to mean "I Feel for You!" That's love!"**

 **Compa then interjected into the situation, once again being drawn into Neptune's antics like a moth to a flame. "How about we call you "AI" instead? That's Japanese for love!" she suggested, hands together as if praying with love hearts in her eyes as the two girls stared at the Guild Agent. "Why not spell it in lower case, like "ai"? it's way cuter, too!"**

 **'Okay, what the hell is going on here?' Nico wondered in befuddlement. There was only so much one can take before the questions start popping out, and right now was the breaking point for him. 'When did this conversation go from looking at the Disk that Neptune apparently found when we didn't, to discussing the meaning of IF's name? what is up with these girls and their conversations?' the male questioned, giving an irritated groan while pinching the bridge of his nose. This was happening. This was REALLY happening.**

* * *

"Yeppers! the Nepper is taking over your lifer!" Neptune chirped happily, grinning.

Everyone else just groaned, even at the apparent new wording that she made.

* * *

 **Apparently, IF shared his sentiments, especially with how she responded. "Whoa! Hold your horses, both of you! You're getting way off track!" she yelled with a pissed off look in her eyes… but was she blushing right now? This was the first time he saw IF blush, and it seemed to originate from embarrassment. Nico made a mental note of that for the future.**

 **When Neptune saw that face however, she grinned like a Cheshire cat, with her eyes locked on to her like a predator capturing their prey… the eyes of a genius teaser. "Awwww, Iffy, are you blushing or are you blushing?" she spoke in a saucy manner, getting right up in her personal space yet again as she loved the reactions she got from the brown-haired woman. Said girl was stuttering even more, with her blush increasing and Neptune's grin widening as a result.**

 **Just as the Guild Agent was about to go down a spiral of embarrassment, something else happened that stopped all thoughts of embarrassing her further. Nico perked up when he noticed it first, and decided to inform the others. "Huh? Uhhhhhh, girls, you might want to look down at the hand holding the Disk." He suggested, pointing down at the Disk. It was starting to radiate a bright purple glow. In the centre, there seemed to be a blackish sludge that was slowly gathering, a single red eye peeking out.**

 **His words caught the girls' attention and they all looked to see what he had seen. "Wha-?! Wait… The Disk… It's shining!" Neptune exclaimed, thank you captain obvious. Startled, the amnesiac dropped the Disk and the three-skedaddled backwards, far enough away from the Disk. Slowly, the black sludge began to lunge upwards, forming a mouth that hissed and screeched as the… thing, tried to break free.**

* * *

"Geez!" Compa cried out as she held herself, quivering a bit as she saw this sight through the projector. "That is so unsettling!"

"In the games this wasn't shown, just a bright flash!" Neptune exclaimed in shock. "This definitely deserves an M rating!"

Noire scowled while crossing her legs. "You just noticed that, NOW Neptune?"

* * *

 **"What's going on, Iffy?!"**

 **"H-How should I know, Compa?! I've never seen this before, either!"**

 **Compa had asked IF, who was the one who had the most experience dealing with monsters' due to her nomadic, mercenary lifestyle, what the heck was happening, assuming she'd seen this before. However, the Guild Agent hadn't seen this before either, and had made sure that the Training Nurse was aware of that. Neptune huddled close to Nico, to his surprise and confusion. "Uh, Nep, what the fuck are you doing?!" he exclaimed.**

 **"I'm scared, Nicky! Shield me like a hero should for the Heroine!"**

 **"How'd you get that idea?!"**

 **Their comments were interrupted when a loud roar came from the sludge thing. It finally separated from the Disk, landing in front of it before it began to take on solid form. It finished the process, and it took the form of several Ghost-like creatures, some with bows on their heads to indicate they were female, while others didn't. there were 2 fat-looking ones with patterned shirts, pants and shoes and looked like human sized boggle heads. He glanced at his Bracers and used the left one to bring up the Guild Bestiary, finding the picture of them ad looking at their names: Clydes, Mrs Clydes and Super Otakus.**

 **They were Normal Monsters, not classed as Abnormals in any way, much to his relief. 'I bet the Author's getting a bit tired of writing intense action scenes for the previous chapters...' he thought with amusement, before his eyes widened in realisation and he face palmed himself. 'Of Course, those two, THAT guy and Neptune, have to corrupt me to be breaking the fourth wall like they do.' He thought to himself, groaning in dismay. He didn't realise his helmet was open because of this.**

 **Meanwhile, said fourth wall breaker stared in shock at the development before her. "What?! Monsters came out of the Disk?!" she exclaimed while she got into a battle stance. The others soon did the same, Neptune deciding to forgo her armour form and instead opting to test out her Murasama. She summoned the sword in its Sheath, before slowly drawing it out and getting into her normal stance, the Sheath having disappeared into her Inventory. Compa got her Syringe out while IF did the same with her Qatars.**

 **Nico stood upright, groaning to himself while reaching for his Sword's grip. He then grasped it firmly in his hands, pulling it out and pointing it at the enemy. "Whelp, looks like we have some clean-up to do." He remarked, smirking as the Mask plates closed together again to form the Mask. With that, the monsters charged at them and the party responded in kind.**

* * *

"Well, I can see what he meant by that." IF remarked. "Players tend to go visit lower leveled areas to take a break from the harder ones. Its common in RPGs and MMO's."

"You would know that, wouldn't you Iffy?" Neptune remarked, a teasing grin on her lips. "Who here has been visiting Leanbox frequently since the first game?"

IF refused to answer, but if the flustered look on her lips was any indication...

* * *

 **For once Nico was glad to be fighting normal monsters this time around. They went down quick and easy, no need to overexert his large arsenal of weapons and Skills. Hell, he didn't even need THAT to defeat them, and that was something that he was immensely thankful for. There were some Abnormals out there that Nico needed to use THAT to win, though sometimes he had to make sure his companions, if he had any, weren't around to see THAT in action. It was a big secret he kept hidden after all…**

 **Once the last Super Otaku fell before Rebellion's blade, Nico released a breath from his chest's confines. "Whew, a short workout, that was." He remarked, Mask splitting open again as he wiped the sweat off his brow. Turning to the others, he saw that they were finishing up as well, so he decided to call out, "All clear!" while strapping Rebellion to his back. The weapon vanished the moment it was secured into its Holster, like it was meant to.**

 **"Same here, Compa called out as the others defeated the rest of the monsters. She released a sigh of relief, before falling onto her backside again, "we've made Gamindustri peaceful again." She said happily, which prompted a small smile from the male's features. He knew that she loved Gamindustri deeply, much more than anyone even the Goddesses, in his mind anyways.**

 **Neptune didn't comment on this, instead she turned to IF with an accusing tone in her voice, "That was a surprise. You should have told me Monsters came from Disks." She said with a pointed gaze, huffing as she summoned the Sheath of her Murasama and strapped it to her waist, sheathing the HF Blade within it.**

 **In response, IF stared pointedly at her like she did, huffing as she crossed her arms and shook her head. "How the hell should me or Nico have known? Nobody knows where the monsters come from-…" as she tried to refute the preteen's claims, it hit her just what happened here.**

 **Unnerved by the Guild Agent's silence, Neptune was prompted to ask her what was wrong, and thus she did, "Iffy? What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Neptune waved her hand in the girl's face, but unlike what she expected the brunette didn't respond to her actions, much to her shock as she realised that she was in deep thought. "Holy, she's so deep in thought it reminds me of Nicky. She's a female Nicky!" she exclaimed with shock and awe.**

* * *

"Low blow, Nep-Nep..." Compa remarked with a disapproving frown, getting a sheepish laugh from the Preteen.

* * *

 **Said male's brows twitched in irritation at her comments, feeling like his manly pride had been hit there. "Hey, I resent that statement you know!" he defended himself, but looked to IF and indeed saw she was deep in thought. As he stared at her with the others, even he had o admit that they had a point as he hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin with one hand. "Though I do admit you have a point, this does look what I look like when I'm thinking about things."**

 **As if his words were the trigger, IF's eyes lit up at the realisation. She swiftly walked to the Disk, making sure not to touch it in any way that suggested that would be the trigger for activating it again, and then picked it up, gazing at it intently. "So this is where the monsters came from..." She then spoke with awe as she showed them the Disk with an excited gleam in her eyes. "This is amazing!"**

 **Compa nodded her head in agreement with the brunette, "yessie! I think this is a super discovery!" she cheered, getting a nod of the head from IF as the two gushed about what they had found. She then turned her head to Nico, who didn't look as excited as they were, much to her confusion. "What's wrong, Ni-Ni? You look tense, this should be a happy moment for us."**

 **The male looked at her after coming up with a response that suited his thoughts on the matter, "Indeed this is an incredible discovery. We've never found any evidence as to the origins of the increase in monster numbers. However, I'm just thinking of the applications. Also, this just adds more questions than answers." He gestured to have the Disk in his hand, and IF gave it to him. The teen looked it over, before continuing his response. "This Disk looks to be Man-made. My Armour scanned it while you were talking just now and it seems that someone did artificially place it here. How the Banshees came here is still a mystery as well as the identity of the one who put this in here. The how and the when, there are still many questions that need to be answered. In addition, this does not mean that the Abnormal Monsters also come from the same Disk, although it is suspicious and a possible lead. Therefore-"**

 **"Hahahahahaha!"**

* * *

"Oh great, its HER." Neptune groaned, flinging her arms downwards in frustration and annoyance. She definitely wasn't alone in her opinion either if the looks on the others was any indication. "That old lady's expiration date has passed since long ago!"

Histoire frowned at that.

* * *

 **Before he could continue, a woman's laughter rang throughout the Cave Dungeon, enhanced with a loud echo and instantly putting them on guard. "I came here for my Queen, but I didn't expect to meet you here, Neptune!" the womanly voice spoke again, but the source was nowhere to be seen.**

 **Her words quickly set off alarms in Nico's mind however, his eyes narrowing dangerously as KI spiked around him. Did this voice say what he thought he said? That she came here for her Queen? Did this mean that the voice knew about the Queen or more importantly, brought it here in the first place? Whatever the case may be, Nico told himself to get the answers he sought. However, there was one problem: where was the voice coming from?**

 **Soon enough though, Nico got his answer. Beeping sounds came from his Bracer, and Nico opened his Motion Tracker to see what was wrong. Someone was coming to them, according to what was being presented on the Motion Tracker, from the sole entrance to this area. 'What the hell? How is it that this person evaded detection for so long?! And how dare she interrupt my monologuing!' Nico thought with narrowed, angry eyes. It took lots of thinking to form the theories he did, so to have that work insulted like that was grounds for a beating, no matter who it was who did it!**

 **"Whose there?" Neptune called out with nervousness and anxiety. She held the grip of her Murasama as a form of comfort while she looked around for the source of the feminine voice, until she noticed something she hadn't before. "What's with that melodramatic laugh?" she asked with the same tones as before.**

 **From the entrance to the Chamber, someone entered to make themselves known to them. It was a woman, that Nico could tell right away. She had a gothic appeal, dressing in black with hints of purple. She had grey-white skin with whitish hair styled akin to Neptune's, and blood red eyes, slightly slanted like a cat. She had dark makeup around her eyes and lips and a very big witch hat with a golden leaf and thorn Purple rose spiralling around. Her outfit was very flashy in terms of design, consisting of a bustier like top with thick bands/strings going up the centre to hold it together, along with unattached sleeves and very noticeable clawed nails.**

 **In her right hand was a multi-pronged Glaive, something Nico tensed at.**

 **"Who are you calling old?! Mocking people as usual. You've not changed a bit." The woman snarled in anger with a tick mark. It seemed she hated being called old for some reason, but then again that trait was shared by a lot of people, both male and female. She gripped the shaft of her Glaive tighter at the insult, before forcing herself to remain calm.**

 **Slowly, the party turned towards Neptune with various expressions on their faces. They were concerned more than a little bit for Neptune if this was the company she kept around her before her amnesia. "Is this a friend of yours?" Compa asked dully, with a tint of concern for the preteen underneath.**

 **This made the petite girl shake her head furiously, finding herself repulsed just by the idea of being associated with this woman. She didn't know why but something rubbed her the wrong way about that insinuation. "Of course not." She denied, shaking her head from side to side. "I don't know any old lady who wears that much goth makeup." She reassured them, much to the woman's irritation at being insulted once again.**

 **Sadly, for her, it just kept coming, in the form of a relieved sigh from the Nurse-In-Training. "That's good to hear." She said through her sigh. It relieved her that despite how oblivious Neptune could be she still had standards. She'd have been more worried than she'd ever been before about her if that wasn't the case.**

 **Nico would have scolded the two for being so rude to the older woman, however the fact that she had something to do with the Banshee Queen quickly abashed all sympathy he felt for her. The male folded his arms in front of his chest, nodding in agreement with a small smile on his face, as he decided to make the woman squirm so it would be easier for him to interrogate her. The fact that he was experiencing a Trigger Event was noted by his brain, but otherwise forgotten. "You said it, Compa. If Neptune did hangout with old ladies like her I'd have taken her to an asylum to get her head examined." He remarked. He could visualise the trip in his head, Nico dragging her by the back of her hoodie into an asylum, Neptune trying to say she wasn't wrong in the head.**

* * *

"Heeeeeey!" Neptune scowled as she puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "I'm perfectly sane! You agree with me guys, right? Guys? Why you all looking away from me like that?"

* * *

 **IF finally spoke her piece, and it wasn't the kind of answer that would calm the fuming woman down. "Yeah." She began, nodding her head in accordance with their opinions on the woman, before delivering her own. "If you were friends with her, I'd have put in my resignation."**

 **Looking at the woman with the others, Nico noticed her face literally red with rage, multiple vein marks on her face, hands and forehead, her teeth grinding together so hard he swore he heard them crack under the pressure. Instead of regret, he was nothing but amused. It increased when Neptune made the fatal blow. "Sooooo, who are you, Missus?" she questioned.**

 **That was the last straw and the woman exploded with anger. "How dare you! Saying whatever you want in front of me! I'll get rid of you all!" she bellowed as she got ready to fight and possibly end their lives.**

 **"Look what you've done, Nep. Now you've made the lady mad!"**

 **"Wait? it's my fault?!"**

* * *

"Wait, was that my fault back then?!"

"You just realized that, NOW Nep?"

"Ugh! Iffy scores a... critical hit! Its Super... effective!"

* * *

 **The mystery woman glared hatefully, her red eyes lighting up like crimson flames. She then gripped her Glaive and charged fright for them, momentarily catching everyone, even Nico, off guard with her speed. Her Glaive sparked with black lightning that she used as a blunt weapon, whacking Neptune upside the head with when she was close enough. "Guh!" she grunted, the impact and force of the blow sending her flying through the air and into a section of the Chamber's wall.**

 **Compa cried out in alarm at the sight, which unfortunately made her the woman's next target. While shooting towards her like a bullet, the woman backhanded an attacking IF to allow her to deal with the Nurse-In-Training herself. She closed the distance and began thrusting rapidly at her, her Glaive crackling with Lightning. Compa did her best to block and evade the blows and was lasting well, but then she made an error in her footing which proved costly, the cost being the woman's Glaive as it smelled into her gut and released a large static charge, causing her to scream in agony. She went even further and did a snap kick right to the Nurse-In-Training's jaw, sending her stumbling back before the woman simply flipped into the air like a sausage and slammed the back of her right heel into her head, Compa's head meeting the hard ground with a THUD!**

 **As she fell to the ground, her body being kicked roughly in the side by the woman's foot, IF regained her bearings and tried to strike her from behind while her guard was down. "Take this!" she yelled as she tried to go for a reverse slash to the back of her neck. The moment her Qatar was about to meet her flesh though, her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips. The reason? A panel-like barrier, the size of her neck, appeared and blocked her weapon from reaching its intended target. "W-What?!"**

 **The woman huffed at the attempt to attack her, "Hmph!" she then remarked about the human female as she spun around while the Guild Agent knocked her back, "To think a lowly human would try to damage someone above them." She scoffed, before losing the distance and launching a barrage of slashes before IF could recover, each of them hitting their mark. She then spun into a reverse upward swing, sending her flying into the air. The woman followed suit with a smash of her Glaive overhead, onto the back of IF's head, making her gasp as she was sent crashing into the ground, her body bouncing into the air again. The woman finished her handiwork with a sharp side kick to the side, sending the damaged Guild Agent tumbling across the ground.**

* * *

Histoire had to wince at the sight of the girls getting their asses handed to them. "How barbaric and brutal..."

IF frowned at this, not liking it either. "This definitely seems like a different Arfoire. she seems a lot more prone to violently eating down her opponents than the canon version." she figured. Though with monsters like the Abnormals around she wouldn't be surprised to see things taking on darker turns in the future.

Poor girl just didn't get how right she'd end up being.

* * *

 **"Neptune! IF! COMPA!" Nico cried out before realising that the woman was right in front of him. With a grimace, the male swiftly blocked her Glaive, the lightning around it acting as a shield against the HF Current Rebellion possessed. Nico growled behind the Mask, which had closed itself when he was attacked, as he was locked into a deadlock with the woman. He growled in fury, livid at how brutally this woman dispatched his comrades. 'This bitch is going to pay for this… but this does show that despite her old appearance, she is quite formidable.'**

 **The woman herself also had an opinion on the boy before her, especially when she noticed the Claymore sword he was wielding. 'What? THAT has been taken from its resting place? But the only ones that could do that are…' the woman trailed off as she looked at the boy closely, like a researcher eyeing something of interest. "… Where did you get that sword, boy?" she asked while pressing her Glaive harder against him to force him to buckle.**

 **Nico glared at her, the attempt she'd made failing as he stood his ground, sparks flying off their weapons as the two struggled to overpower the other. "Why would I tell you that, bitch?" he snarled back, and with a force of strength managed to break their deadlock and spin into a reverse slash. It was blocked by her Glaive, so he went for a series of strikes to various parts of her body, in rapid succession. "I'm not a cliché hero who'd give away all his secrets!"**

 **The woman growled in anger at him, barely blocking his admittingly fast attacks, each one having some impact behind them. "While I despise that disrespectful tone, brat." She began, floating backwards. The male realised just now that she moved like the HDD form of Neptune, which made him suspicious of this woman's background as she pointed her Glaive at him, "It is impressive you were able to last this long against me while your pathetic friends did not."**

 **"Yeah well, I have a lot of training." Nico bluntly stated, before swinging Rebellion and sending a static slash at her. The Slash flew towards her and the woman responded swiftly, knowing that it wouldn't be something she could trifle with. She got into a stance with her Glaive pointed behind her, Lighting sparking violently as she waited for the right moment. When the time came to strike, she swiftly swung her weapon into an uppercut swing, slicing the wave in half.**

 **But that was only a distraction for Nico's real attack, the male having jumped into the air while the woman was busy prepping to slash his Plasma Slash in half. "You stopped one, but how about multiple?! PHANTOM BLADES!" he yelled, unleashing his blades from the Magic Circle behind him. They all came raining down upon the woman's position, whose reflexes proved surprising even for him.**

 **Her weapon became a flurry of motions when she slashed and stabbed at every blade that would have hit her had she tried to block. She slashed one, stabbed another, backhanded another, and repeated these motions until the Skill had deactivated, leaving the woman mildly winded but otherwise unharmed. A smug grin shot onto her face as her opponent landed before her. "Hmph, is that all? I was expecting something more from a Spec Ops Agent." She mocked, holding her Glaive in a ready stance.**

 **While he was surprised at how she could handle his Skill like that, Nico still was furious as he realised she was insulting the Skills he'd spent years developing. He had just the right response for her, and that was to dash forth, quickly closing the distance between them before rearing Rebellion for a horizontal slash. He slashed at her neck, but she blocked it with her Glaive, an arrogant smirk on her features. "Hoh, looks like that's really all you-" she began to say, only to notice that his right leg was glowing purple, a sign that he was activating a Skill. he kicked upwards with a yell of "PHANTOM WAVE!" before launching the specified attack at point blank range.**

 **The woman had no time to evade or block, thus the attack hit and she was sent flying with a gasp of pain as a result. With a roar of fury, Nico readied Rebellion before dashing towards her at high speeds. "Not even close, bitch!"**

* * *

"Whoa, he's actually holding his own against her!" Noire exclaimed in surprise, seeing how Nico and Arfoire brawled like vicious animals, not letting up an inch to the other. "I know he's an OC, but goddamn!"

"Whelp, he's the main character like yours truly, Noire!" Neptune boasted, puffing her chest out with an equally bragging grin on her lips. "Its a given that he is at least a little less awesome than mwah!"

"Nep-Nep... Ni-Ni's completely showing you up right now, though..."

"Nepu?! What the heck, Compa?!"

* * *

 **Meanwhile, as the two duelled viciously like two lions competing for territory, IF and the others slowly regained their bearings from the harsh beating they had endured. "Geez, that woman is definitely one angry old bag…" she remarked to herself, wincing as she held her head from when she was hit by the mystery woman's Glaive. It still stung a bit, but at least it wasn't as bad as before. She swore she'd seen some bright light earlier until she regained her consciousness. "I guess judging books by their cover is a bad idea. Tch!" she cursed when her head throbbed from where she was hit, holding a hand on the injury as if too lessen the pain. "She hits hard."**

 **Neptune was the second one to regain herself, and she looked mad at the woman as she stumbled out of her indentation in the Chamber's wall. A few tick marks were present on her forehead as she pointed an accusing finger at the mystery woman who was still engaged in combat with Nico. "Hey! This lady is too strong for being an early stage boss! I call cheat!" she whined, although the said woman was too busy with Nico to pay attention to her words.**

* * *

"The power of scripted events, other me!"

* * *

 **Finally, Compa rose to her feet, moaning and whimpering as she held her head which throbbed like it was hit by a herd of angry bulls. Tears were in the corners of her eyes at the pain she had suffered, and every now and then her body would spasm slightly because of that Static Charge the mystery woman had unleashed onto her nerve system. "Ooooh... that mean old lady... she put a shock to my system..." she moaned in a pained voice, grimacing as she begun to use her Healing Magic. "FIRST AID!" she called out the name of the Skill she wanted to use. Her body briefly lit up in a green aura as she felt the damage begin to vanish thanks to the Skill's effects. She also repeated the process for Neptune and IF as well.**

 **To them, they all realised that one couldn't judge a book by its cover. Especially old ladies in witch costumes.**

 **Neptune looked and saw that the woman and Nico were engaged in a vicious dance of blades, the male Spec Ops Agent having little difficulty keeping up with her attacks. "And the Overpowered OC is holding his own in a battle that generically we couldn't win at the beginning." She remarked dully, before a frown formed on her face. "Hey ladies, is it just me or are any of you gals pissed that we were thrown around like ragdolls while Nicky was not?"**

* * *

"Yeah, that definitely hurts my pride..." IF remarked, with the said girls involved with the incident agreeing with her.

* * *

 **"It's not just you, Nep." IF replied as she growled to herself. "Then again, Nico is a skilled Agent, he likely has a few tricks up his sleeve to even the playing field. In a sense, he has the bite to keep up with his bark." She realised, although it didn't do her pride as a fighter any favours to admit that someone else was way better than her.**

 **Compa shook her head and looked pleadingly at the others, "You guys, we can feel sorry for ourselves or we can go help, Ni-Ni's done a lot for us already, we can't just rely on him all the time." She pleaded with them, readying her Syringe. Something clicked in her mind and she decided to go and switched from her Syringe to her deployable Armour. When it was formed, she stood with her Armcannons ready to fire.**

 **IF frowned for a moment, while she wasn't in the party for very long, she did have to admit for the short time that she was, that Nico was the spearhead of the group and the reason why they were able to emerge as victorious as they did. Like her, he too was level-headed and observant, as well as carried a vast arsenal of weapons and equipment, not just one weapon and a bunch of Skills. In the end, she realised that Compa was right, they had to prove their worth somehow, otherwise Nico would unintentionally make them look bad. "Alright then, we need to have a plan if we wanna win. That woman is no joke in close combat."**

 **"You got it, Iffy!" Neptune exclaimed eagerly, grinning as she saw Nico and the woman go back to back the male blocking several side swipes from the Woman's Glaive, before elbowing the woman's back and spinning into a diagonal slash before she could recover, getting a shriek of anger from her and a Glaive swing which he jumped back to dodge. "Good thing I can go Super-mode again otherwise this fight would be even tougher on us gals. Alrighty let's do this! GOOOOOOOO!" with that, Neptune was bathed in a bright pillar of light.**

* * *

"Yes! HDD time! Now Arfoire is toast!" Neptune exclaimed happily.

"Remember how you got beat before, Neptune?" Noire stated as her eyes watched the battle. "Something tells me it won't work the way you think."

* * *

 **Back with the two battling fighters, Nico's eyes widened when he sensed the energy coming from Neptune, and had to hold back a smug smirk which threatened to appear on his lips. "Looks like the girls are back up." He remarked as he glanced to them, noticing the pillar of light envelop Neptune which hindered all his attempts to hide his smirk. 'And she's went and activated HDD, too. Good on ya, girl.' He thought, impressed. He was glad that she and the others were okay, when he saw those wounds being inflicted upon them the way they were, he had almost lost it to his rage and attacked without thinking. That would have been a bad idea, so in a way he was grateful that the woman chose to attack first. it gave him a means to vent his anger on her without losing himself.**

 **On the other hand, the mystery woman was not so pleased, in fact it was safe to say she was pissed judging by how she scowled in the transforming Neptune's direction. "Tch, damnit…" the mystery woman muttered under her breath as she backed away from Nico. She was cursing constantly for a few moments, almost crushing the Glaive she was using. "I should have stopped Neptune from transforming first."**

 **'Yeah sucks to be you, huh lady?' Nico mused in his mind, chuckling darkly while he swore he felt something shake in Rebellion. 'You lost yourself to rage and thus made a callous mistake. A rookie's error, but still an easy one to make.' He mocked her further in his mind. He then took a sniff through the air, and noticed that something was odd about the woman's scent. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, while it was a hunch, and there was more than one piece of evidence towards it, he just had to confirm it first. "You wouldn't happen to know how the Banshees even got here, do you?"**

 **The woman glared at him as she charged forth, avoiding a PHANTOM WAVE that he shot at her before swinging a reverse swing towards his head. He blocked with Rebellion though, and the two reached a stalemate, sparks flying from their electrified weapons. "Why should I tell you anything, you brat?" she snarled, spit flying from her words.**

 **In response, Nico released one hand from Rebellion and made a bird-like pose with it. He then brought it down on the woman's dominant arm, the impact making her lose balance slightly before he raised it and viciously struck her under the chin, making her head snap backwards. He then gripped her chin with the same hand and kneed her in the stomach, making the woman gasp and cough saliva at the force of impact. Nico gripped her by her hair and raised her head, before smacking it into the ground with enough force to create a human sized crater. "Well for starters, you smell of various herbs used to make Banshee bait, something that's classified as illegal in Planeptune. You seem to also smell of a drug that's classified as a A-class Drug, due to it being for the purpose of camouflaging yourself from Banshees or other Abnormal monsters at the cost of mental degradation."**

 **At the end of the speech, the woman managed to break free and knock him back, jumping away to get some distance. She landed in a floating position, sliding just above the ground to a halt. Raising herself to an upright position, the woman coughed a bit of blood into her hand, making her grimace and wipe it off her left thigh. "Tch, alright, the truth then." she muttered, before her lips curved upwards into a bloody smirk, her eyes gleaming with malice and sinister intent as she pointed her Glaive at him. "You're right, I did use a combination of drugs and herbs to lure the Banshee Queen here. Why I did that is none of your business, boy. It's of no concern, for you are going to die here."**

 **Nico scowled, biting back the urge to go all full nelson on this bitch's ass. Fury roared within him like a raging furnace at her words, his grip on Rebellion's shaft increasing tremendously. 'How dare she... she's responsible for tons of lost innocent lives... so many lives ruined, families gone... loved ones will never see each other again... life has been defiled and she has been the cause... because of her, tragedy has befallen countless innocents... that woman...' he thought, clenching his teeth harshly behind his mask. "... You're so going to fucking PAY, BITCH!" He roared, and if he were a dragon he'd be spewing flames instead of cross words. Raising Rebellion, Nico got ready for round 2… for the girls at least, he was still in round 1.**

* * *

"I know, Nicky!" Neptune yelled at the monitor. "Its horse dung!"

"Language, young lady!" Histoire chided.

* * *

 **When the pillar died down, HDD Neptune was ready and willing. She had her sword out and a confident smirk on her face. "I'm ready now." She commented. Her body, thanks to the Transformation, had healed her previous wounds so she was fighting at 100% capacity right now. Another feature she noticed was the black and purple futuristic Sheath that was strapped to her Waist, which also had a rifle mechanism on it. A curious smirk formed on her lips as she regarded this change. "Oh? Does HDD affect my weapon of choice in human form? Interesting…"**

 **"Wha-?! What the hell, Nep?!" IF exclaimed with saucers for eyes as she pointed at the girl, though her quivering finger soon pointed at a… certain pair of melons as she continued. "Your like, huge! Like all over!" she exclaimed with shock, disbelief… and was there jealousy in IF's voice? Her finger was trembling at Neptune's melons, so maybe she was…**

 **Nah, that's unlikely.**

 **Compa was the first one to respond, though she felt a little sheepish that they hadn't told the Guild Agent of Neptune's ability earlier. "Surprise! Nep-Nep can change forms!" she proclaimed like an announcer, nervousness could be heard in her voice but there was a rising confidence in it as well, born from the fact that both Neptune and Nico were at their best against this woman. Seeing that the male was as strong as he was, and that HDD Neptune was close to his power level, it filled her with hope for the battle. "She becomes super strong and serious in this form."**

 **"This form is what I used to fight my first Banshee. Still think I was kidding?" Neptune asked, her deeper voice having a tint of amusement at the flabbergasted expression on the brunette's features. She did feel a bit miffed during that battle when IF had expressed her doubts about fighting those creatures, but seeing her reaction to her transformation was satisfying enough.**

 **Still in disbelief, IF could only nod dumbly. "Well, how can I not? It's harder not to believe at this point." She remarked, before quickly shaking her head and reminding herself of the situation. This was no time to be ogling Neptune's new form, or to be more specific her 'growth' this was combat and DEATHSTROKE would benefit from their help. "Anyways, what's the plan? Even with super-Nep here, we can't go in recklessly or we'll just get in Nico's way."**

 **"I've got a plan." The womanly Neptune replied as she readied herself for an attack. "I'll keep the foe's focus on myself and Nicky, you girls attack from the Flanks, keep her off guard. It'll be hard for her to fight on so many fronts." She advised, before she flew forwards and joined the battle with the woman. The two human fighters looked to each other before nodding and joining too.**

 **Then, they saw IT.**

* * *

 **While they had been discussing their plans, Nico had resumed his clash with the mystery woman. "HA! Almost got you there, bitch!" the male snarled, and after several parries he spun into a back-elbow strike to her gut then swung his leg in a high kick to her head. 'Payback for treating the girls like that!'**

 **The woman gasped at the brutal display of attacks, floating back to get some distance before pointing her Glaive at him. The Lighting gathered at the tip, and a basketball sized ball of black darkness with a sinister purple outline formed. It then was launched into a beam at him, but the male could dodge it at the last second, quickly closing the distance with Rebellion swinging towards her face.**

 **Hurriedly, she raised her Glaive and blocked the strike and aimed a kick to his side, which was blocked by his Sword when he angled it differently. She made to thrust her Glaive at his stomach, but the male pivoted around it and swing at her Neck. Like before however with IF's weapon, a panel appeared before her neck and blocked his strike. "A barrier huh? one that blocks strikes to vital areas I'm assuming."**

 **Hearing his analysis, the woman smirked arrogantly, hefting her Glaive over her shoulder like a gangster would with a blunt weapon like a pipe or a baseball bat. "You'd be right, boy. Your observation skills are indeed commendable. Feel honoured, for no other human has made me work this hard for my victory." She spoke, before she thrusted her Glaive forwards without warning and launched a blast of energy shaped like her weapon's tip.**

 **Nico made to block it with his Rebellion, and while he did do it, the male's eye widened when he noticed that the woman had vanished and KI could be felt behind him. 'Oh shit, so that's what she was intending!' the male muse while trying to deflect the attack so he could move out the way…**

 **Only for a second blast to be fired his way and go right through both his chest and stomach. Not even his armour was able to block that one.**

* * *

Several gasps of pure horror struck the girls like Thor slamming his mighty hammer onto their hearts.

"No way!" Neptune shrieked in horror at the gory sight before her. Her face paled faster than a kangaroo running at top speed, before she frantically began shaking her head even faster. It was a wonder why it hadn't fallen off yet. "No way, no, way, no way, no way, no WAY is the MC going to lose to an injury like that, no way!" She yelled, trying to convince herself. Though, this wasn't something she could just banish away.

Compa said nothing as tears built up in the corners of her eyes. her hands covered her mouth in a desperate attempt to keep the scream within her caged, no matter how much she wanted to release it.

IF gritted her teeth and looked away from the spectacle, same with Noire.

Histoire looked down, sorrow filling her being and her eyes darkening at the death of this young man. Life was short sometimes, and this young man'sm life had already been cut...

* * *

 **Everything stopped as the male fell to one knee, thin strands of flesh and muscle being the only thing holding his body upright, but that wasn't for long as he fell to the ground with a THUD! The thud seemed to be louder than normal for some reason, likely because the shock would enhance the senses. His armour had already vanished out of existence, the module that spawned it having been destroyed thanks to the sneak attack. It would not be coming back, not with the fate both it and it's master shared.**

 **IF gasped, momentarily shocked to silence as she struggled to not vomit at the brutal sight, turning her head away and closing her eyes. Although this only succeeded in keeping the outside images out, her mind disobeying her by firmly burning the image of the male's remains on the ground into her very being, which only made it worse. "Ugh!"**

 **Compa and Neptune took it way worse than she ever did however. For a moment, they couldn't believe what they were seeing, no, they refused to believe it. they assumed it was a trick at first, that Nico had something in mind like he always did. However, seconds passed and the reality of the situation had fully sunk into their minds, hearts and souls. Their faces became pale, void of their previous skin tone as tears gathered in the corners of their eyes. Finally, their hearts couldn't take it anymore and they yelled in synchronisation, "NI-NI/NICKY!"**

 **The mystery woman noticed their expressions, and couldn't help but let out one of her signature laughs. "Hahahahahaha! Looks like that boy's finally bitten the dust! Serves him right for challenging a being above his stature! At last, I'm one step closer my goal! Oh? What's this? Did you care that boy? Was he a toy for your own fantasies?" she remarked with a raising of her eyebrow. "How amusing, someone like you taking an interest in a lowly mortal. Though it boggles me how he managed to get his hands on that sword, but it does not matter in the grand scheme of things."**

 **She made to gloat some more, but then something slammed into her stomach, making her gasp as she was sent flying. The woman barely got herself together in mid-air and landed on a panel that formed beneath her feet. Looking up, she barely had enough time to raise her Glaive to block A sword from slicing her in half. She almost winced at the force of the impact when their weapons clashed. 'What? Where did this kind of power come from?'**

 **Her answer came in the form of a thoroughly PISSED Neptune. Her eyes bore into the woman's own while angry tears fell down her cheeks as she pushed the woman back and went into a spinning slash, purple energy coursing through her sword and if it were her normal one it would have shattered under the immense strain. However, her HDD weapon was made for that type of strain, so that wasn't an issue. "How dare you… take Nicky away…" she growled, her eyes gaining a haunting purple glow around them.**

 **"Now… THIS MEANS WAR!"**

* * *

"Next Chappie Histy! Hurry!"

Histoire nodded frantically at Compa's demanding request (her eyes were at full power right then), quickly making to upload the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12 - Reading Chapter 11

The next chapter nearly loaded, yet still the tension in the Planeptune Basilicom 's quarters living room felt palpable. None of the girls wanted this version of Arfoire to get away with what she did.

Their thoughts ranged from a mix between worry/anger, yet none of them needed to voice these thoughts into words. No, all they did was wait for the chapter to load up and for the projection to play.

Eventually it did.

* * *

 **Chapter 11 - Vengeance, baby!**

 **Ever been in a moment where your like 'oh shit' and you feel like you've made one of the worst mistakes you've ever made? A literal 'It was at this moment that Gavin knew, he fucked up' moment. Well that was what the mystery woman was feeling as she was getting the shit knocked out of her by a furious Neptune. She constantly swung her sword in wide arcs, not giving her any time to recover from the last one. she couldn't even breathe without flinching at each attack which only increased in speed and in ferocity. Plus, with the energy imbued in them she was finding it difficult to keep her guard up.**

* * *

"Good, she's getting pressured." IF stated, nodding in relief. She didn't have he same attachment to Nico as the other girls did, neither did her other, but seeing such a death did NOT sit well with her. She could only imagine the reaction she would have if Compa would have gotten that hit.

She'd go ballistic.

* * *

 **Eventually she managed to kick Neptune away and get some distance. Her mind raced with thoughts on how this came to be, most of them cantering around the uncommonly rise in their power. 'How is this possible? Did losing that boy trigger something in Neptune's power? It's the only explanation for this increased strength. No matter, with the way she's acting right now she should wear herself down eventually, I'll endure for now then I'll-'**

 **"Take this!"**

 **"Nani?!"**

 **Before she could finish her thoughts, a cream coloured blur appeared in front of her, revealing itself to be one very angry Compa. Her expression, which was now exposed thanks to her helmet having dispersed, was a mirror image of Neptune's angry blaze in her eye, tears running down her cheeks, the works. She was wielding her Syringe in one hand, using it as a form of club. "You're a meanie! How dare you take Ni-Ni from me!" she cried, pouring energy into her free fist and throwing it into the mystery woman's face with the force of a 1000 Megaton jackhammer. "Taste my sorrow, you Ni-Ni taker!"**

* * *

"Ni-Ni taker..." Neptune snorted into her hand, though her mirth got short lived as her feelings of anger returned to her. Killing the MC like that was SO not cool in her books. She might just have to call in the N force just to go full meta and teach that arfy a lesson!

For some reason, Histoire felt chills go down her spine.

'Please, let it not be the N force Neptune is thinking of...'

* * *

 **The fist went flying in and hit its target dead centre, causing the mystery woman to cry out as she was sent flying by the force of her punch. Compa didn't finish there however, as she quickly donned her Armour and aimed both her Armcannons with her Syringe disappearing into her Inventory. She soon went and peppered the 'Ni-Ni taker' with rounds from them without limit, completely focusing on something that contrasted heavily with her usual nature as a Nurse-In-Training:**

 **Rip, that bitch, apart.**

 **As the woman tried to get up from the barrage, forming a Panel in front of her to block it, a shadow loomed overhead. The woman expected it to be Neptune considering the circumstances, however when she looked up she was proven wrong when she saw it was the Guild Agent IF, and she too looked pissed enough to kill. "You're paying for that one, bitch. An eye for an eye, as they say." She said with a fierce glare as she raised her foot to stomp through her face.**

 **Quickly, the woman rolled out the way, and when IF's foot hit the ground it caused a large crater from the force alone. The woman was gobsmacked as she quickly got back into position and readied her Glaive. 'This is getting ridiculous! How can one mere human boy get such a reaction out of them with his demise?!' she shrieked in anger and confusion in her mind. 'Whatever the case may be, this battle won't be as easy as I'd hoed., with them in this state it'll be a long, painful endurance lesson, but if I hold out I'm sure I'll win in the end.'**

 **The woman soon snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed that they were attacking once more, and readied herself accordingly. in her eyes, they looked like they were the hounds of hell coming to eat her soul.**

 **In their eyes, she was the demon who had taken their party member from them.**

* * *

 **"Ugh… where am I…?"**

* * *

"Oh? Is this Nico's thoughts...?" IF wondered, blinking in confusion. She didn't expect this, she thought that Nico had been killed by that attack. Was he in the afterlife or something? She didn't know, and apparently neither did the rest of them.

"Oh! Maybe this is like some super secret room his soul has been transported to for some reason!" Neptune suggested , getting looks from the others.

Looks that were ignored, by the way.

* * *

 **Nico never expected to wake up after what just happened, but when he opened his eyes it felt like they were still closed, as all he saw was darkness. He couldn't move anything save for his head, so he looked down to see how his body fared after taking that attack… and couldn't resist the urge to grimace. "Yeesh, that looks nasty…" he muttered, seeing the empty space where his chest and stomach was.**

 **"Still… I must admit, I didn't see that coming. That bitch should die for what she did…"**

 **Something clicked in his mind once he finished that sentence. Could he be… dead? Was this the afterlife? He'd heard varying opinions about what happens after death, even researched it himself during his free time out of either boredom or curiosity. The cases were numerous: out of body experiences, the land of the dead, and even Celestia itself were such examples. He'd never believed them though, finding it pathetic that people thought that the CPUs would let the dead reside in their world when they died. Now that he WAS dead however, Nico would have liked it if he did go SOMEWHERE other than this dark, empty void.**

 **"Heh… so this is how DEATHSTROKE ends, huh…? getting killed by an old lady while protecting his comrades…?"**

 **It seemed almost ironic that someone like him, who respected women, to have been killed by one. True the male knew that there were some evil women out there just as there were evil males, hence why he had gone along with the jokes at that woman's expense. However, the latter was greater in quantity so that was why he didn't like guys as much as he did girls… that was a weird way of phrasing it, but basically, he respected women more than he did men. Therefore, it left a bitter taste in his mouth the way that he died.**

* * *

"That... would be an ironic way to die..." Noire admitted to herself. She wondered how ironic it would be if Avenir or the organisation which K Sha was once connected to killed her or her sister. How ironic would that be, a Lastation group killing her, their Leader?

She soon stopped that train of thought before she could go further down the line.

* * *

 **"No… not like this, I can't die like this… there's still much I have to do!"**

 **His eyes narrowed however as a sensation of anger and determination rose within his non-existent chest. He couldn't die yet, there were so many things he wanted to accomplish! Too many for him to die like a dog here! He had to help Neptune find out who she was, he had to aid her in her quest to gather the Key Fragments! He had to help Compa achieve her dream of becoming a full-on Nurse! He had to help the girls find people they could call their significant other, if they wanted, be there at their weddings and possibly help raise their families! All that, and he still had the goal of finding the truth about his own past!**

 **He couldn't die like this! No, he wouldn't, even if there was no way back, he'd MAKE one! Nico codename DEATHSROKE would not die in this pathetic manner! He'll make that woman pay for this, he'd kill her for trying to take away his everything! And if the god of death himself tried to stop him, then he'd simply go rip his head off! Nothing would stop him from returning to his companions!**

 **Gotta kill... illKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKill!**

 **'Hehehehehe hahahahahaha! Good, you still have the fire in you!'**

* * *

"Zoinks!" Neptune shrieked, nearly squealing in surprise when she heard that new voice. The loudness of the voice nearly deafened her, and she wasn't the only one who thought this either.

"Ouchies, my ears!" Compa squirmed, holding her hands over her ears.

Noire and IF had the same response, grimacing while trying to protect their sense of hearing.

"I do not like the sounds of that voice..." Histoire remarked, shuddering within herself as she held her arms. It was hard to elicit such a response from her since she usually kept her cool, but the onslaught of horrific scenes was slowly getting to her. "It sounds so... evil, sinister and twisted... What could it want with Nico, I wonder...?"

* * *

 **Nico's eyes nearly flew open when suddenly, his surroundings, the darkness, the void… it all caught fire, becoming a blazing inferno that was so intense that he tried to shield his eyes. However, with his lack of ability to move, and with his body the way it was, covering his eyes was practically impossible. "Whoa, what the hell?! What's going on, I thought I was dead! Is this… hell?!" he exclaimed, before he heard a booming laughter that sent chills up his spine.**

 **'Hehehehehehe hahahahahaha! Fool, you never made it to the God of Death's domain in the first place, you are too powerful for that! You are merely in limbo, the space between!'**

 **In an instant, the flames in front of him started to morph, forming sockets and slanted edges, and in no time at all there was what looked like a deformed face staring him down, its mouth, a void-like interior with sharpened spikes made from the flames to act as teeth, grinned at him. There was something about that grin that sent his nerves into overdrive, something unnatural, something… demonic.**

* * *

If the girls got scared before, then they were terrified now, as the look on that formless face just sent then into a panicked overdrive... at least, if one looked at their eyes ass they so desperately tried to keep their cool.

"Nepu!" Neptune shouted, her face paling considerably. "Whoa, this is dark, yo! Is this MC power-up a good thing or what, cause ma Nepness can't tel anymore!"

None of the others had an answer, either.

* * *

 **'Do you seek to return to the world? Even if you must pay the price of losing your remaining humanity? To become the world's sole truest monster?!'**

 **The face asked him this question, its voice echoing across the burning Void. Nico first felt scared of the face, but the moment it had asked him that al his fears and doubts were cast aside, and his eyes gained a gleam of determination and resolve. "Hell yes! I already walk the path of the monster, so fuck the thought of stopping now! I'll gladly return, even if I become so twisted that they would hate me forever, I will always, ALWAYS return to my comrades!"**

 **His shout echoed just as much as the face's voice did, and was it just him or did the flames suddenly intensify? The answer came in the form of several trails of fiery embers that went to where his chest and stomach once was. They gathered in that space, growing into a shape that mimicked his destroyed anatomy, until they connected with his neck, shoulders and hips. A searing pain assaulted his senses as this process worked, but Nico didn't scream, he kept it in and endured it. if this pain was what kept him from returning to the others, then he'd laugh like a madman.**

 **When he saw the flames connect to the rest of his body, he thought that would be the end of it, but no, the flames spread onto his remaining anatomy including his head. Before he could shout what the hell his entire body was ensnared into a cocoon, more Trails emerging from the inferno around him and latching onto the cocoon. While it watched this, the face's grin threatened to tear it in half, twisted glee in its sockets.**

 **'Yes… yes, yes, yes! Hahahahaha! I knew you'd be better than the others! Few who gain this power ever have such will to live as you! They were nothing but beltway pansies who couldn't even hold themselves before me! Use this power well boy, for what's left of your humanity is gone! Ascend, boy, ascend into what you are truly meant to be! Take that side with you into the great beyond, and you will have power that none of your brethren had before you! Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe hahahahahahahahaha ahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!'**

* * *

"Well... IF began, as she tried her best not to scream till her voice was hoarse. There were few things that freaked her out, and this would be considered one of them. She could only imagine what it would be like if they encountered such a being in their Gamindustri.

Poor villains wouldn't even stand a chance if they did on any of their adventures.

* * *

 **They were still fighting when they noticed it.**

 **"Um… guys' is it getting hotter in here?" IF asked them as a strong heat seemed to fill the air. It seemed to take away most of the oxygen in the room, making breathing difficult for the rest of them. A heavy pressure could be felt, a pressure that threatened to pin them to the ground and never let them go for the rest of their lives. The sensations were enough to snap Compa and Neptune out of their anger-driven states as they too felt the effects of this new change in the atmosphere, sweat rolling down their foreheads as their breathing became laboured. Though for some reason Neptune wasn't affected as much as the two human fighters.**

* * *

That part caught their attention, but nobody dared say anything as they continued watching the chapter.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, the woman, whose body was repairing itself from numerous slashes and lacerations, lost what little skin colour she had as she recognised this pressure. Worse still, she felt it in even greater effect than the girls did, and she knew why. 'Im-impossbile! Can it be?! Has one of THEM returned to this world?!' she thought in horror, and for the first time in a long while, the woman felt the chills of fear crawling up her spine, gripping it with a temperature as cold as ice intensified by 1000. 'No… if one of THEM has returned then it'll be a threat to my plans!'**

 **Both sides felt it, and in a bid to know what it was, swiftly searched the Chamber for the source. From the outside POV, it looked like they were frightened rabbits desperately looking for signs of the predator that was hunting them. Their eyes landed on it soon enough, and the source… was Nico's remains. His remains were radiating a strange crimson aura, the pressure erupting from it and saturating the air. From the ground around the remains, dozens of fiery trails of orangish red flames burst out, slithering through the air like Tendrils before they curved back down and began wrapping around the male, forming a human sized cocoon. All the while, waves of dust shot across the ground, being blown away from the pressure that was being excluded from the corpse.**

 **When this was complete the pressure skyrocketed, swift and sound as the cocoon slowly rose to an upright position, the flames that made it spiral around like they were caught in a vortex. Power radiated from the cocoon, power that felt like the opposite of Neptune's. While her power felt almost godly in nature, this power felt dark, sinister… demonic. It was like she was seeing her darker counterpart, and it sent chills up Neptune's spine.**

 **This lasted several intense moments, the cocoon eventually growing more and more volatile, until finally… BOOM! It exploded into a mass of embers and flames, causing a massive shockwave to spread across the Chamber, knocking down those on foot (IF and Compa) and forcing those that were floating (Neptune and the Mystery Woman) to cover their eyes or shield themselves with panels. The explosion also generated a large dust cloud, shielding what was inside from view.**

 **On their side, Neptune, Compa, IF and the Mystery Woman all got up to their feet, dazed and disoriented. "Ugh, my head hurts… how many times will my head hurt today?" Compa while, nursing her throbbing head as she recalled how she'd taken several hits there in a short amount of time today. She feared she might lose brain cells at this rate, which wouldn't be good for her dream.**

 **"You and me both Compa, you and me both. Man, what's up with these things today, first Nep transforms, then Nico's... body, goes 'flame on!'." IF moaned, grimacing as she planted her feet firmly on the ground and pushed herself onto a sitting position, then stood up straight. She was a bit wobbly at first thanks to the disorientation, but shook her head as it began to fade away. She then looked to Compa and saw how she was still getting up, so she offered a hand and helped her to her feet.**

 **That done, they group of females then looked to where the cocoon was, and when the dust settled, they could honestly admit they were NOT prepared for what they saw.**

* * *

"Oh..." IF began.

"My..." Compa added on,

"Goddess..." Noire finally finished.

Neptune and Histoire just stared with slack jaws at what they saw, their eyes nearly flying out of their sockets.

* * *

 **A grown man replaced the spot where the teenage Nico once stood. The man's hair was a charcoal black colour, with his eyes a crimson red with the same power button symbols Neptune possessed, only these were abyssal black. The man was standing at roughly 8 feet, covered in orangish red armour. The head of his armour covered much, save for his eyes, which were seen through empty holes in the helmet, and his mouth. The helmet had a large crest-like shape, with the muzzle AKA the mouth bare to expose his mouth. The chest, shoulders, arms, legs and waist were all completely armoured, everywhere else being covered by a fleshy skin-tight suit. The armour had an orangish red sheen to it, with the hands being shaped into clawed Gauntlets with spikes coming out the elbows. More spikes protruded from the shoulder guards and the knees. On the chestplate there was a glowing yellow core of energy, as well as matching veins that spread across the man's body. Out the back of the man's tailbone, was a long, segmented crimson red tail, the same length as his height. Out his upper back was a pair of flaming wings like a Phoenix's, shaped like the namesake, and reached down to its feet which had several long talons protruding out of the front, 1 extra from the heel.**

 **From his body, the man radiated an aura of pure power, like a fiery inferno constantly blazing through the Monster Cave. The aura repelled anything that got close, even the air itself was not safe from its defence. it was literally sizzling when in close proximity to the man's form, making breathing near him nigh- impossible. In the man's right hand was one of the most intimidating weapons they'd ever seen, it looked like a giant sword with demonic crimson flesh filling the blade's blunt side. At the base of the hilt, there was a yellow slitted eye with one side of the sword featured an enlarged, metallic blade edge.**

* * *

"Whoooooooaaaaaaaaaaaa...! Duuuuuuuuuudde!" One energetic preteen exclaimed, stunned and amazed. She didn't have anything else top say other than that when she saw the design of the MC's new form. Not only that, but it looked like it was strong as heck, similar to the Goddesses HDD forms. "That looks... AWESOME! A dark power-up that looks super cool! Not often you see that in a Neptunia fic!"

"You don't read fics like these Nep, so how do you know? IF sharply stated, but then continued on ass he saw the look Nico now sported. "But, I will admit, this looks... pretty cool. I wonder what this power is though, feels very sinister and evil-looking," she remarked further, frowning, That face thing said this power would lead Nico down the 'path of the monster', so maybe it was something to do with that?

Noire hummed, oddly enough she was one of the few who looked like she didn't mind this transformation. "At least its not like he's become a male CPU. It looks like it somewhat, but it had its own unique style and theme to it that it makes me think he's not." she mused, looking the design over critically. She had dabbled in... some fanfictions (not that she'll say that out loud) but most of them in this genre involved the OC gaining a HDD form of their own. There were some which were acceptable, but others...

Still, even though this thing looked intimidating as all hell, especially that sword with the eyeball that strangely looked like it was staring right at them (talk about creepy), she liked this. She wanted to know more about this transformation. Her instincts told her there was a lot to it, more so than HDD.

She would soon learn how right she was.

* * *

 **The man looked around, his eyes like blades as they pierced through everyone, before they landed on the Mystery Woman who quickly raised her Glaive to defend herself. Her instincts told her what was coming. "You…" the man mumbled, his voice deep and sounding like two people speaking at the same time. His eyes narrowed with a dark, sinister gaze, causing the woman to tremble as she held his gaze. She was right, one of THEM had returned to this world, one of them HAD come back and now he would likely try to hinder her plans. She had to make sure that this doesn't happen otherwise everything she'd worked for would be in vain.**

 **In an instant she was attacked, the man's wings having spread to their full wingspan of an impressive 10 feet before the man took off towards her. He raised his Sword and slammed it down on her, the force and impact of the weapon making the woman's legs buckle under the weight as a large crater formed on the ground below her. The weapons were locked together, sparks of black/purple lighting and demonic reddish orange embers flying off them while the two pushed against each other. It also created a large shockwave, one that blew away everything that wasn't nailed down from their general vicinity.**

* * *

"Um...is it just me, or is that sword a little creepy...?" Compa questioned, shuddering. She felt that the transformation looked pretty cool, and if it weren't for this sword then she'd be like the others. Still, the amount of power that blade just now felt quite impressive, not even the CPUs blades could do THAT to their surroundings.

* * *

 **He then raised the massive blade again and brought it down on her ass. The woman barely dodged it though, knowing that from that last strike, this one would have cleaved her in two if she hadn't dodged. She tried to fire another lighting blast, but the man appeared before her and rammed the bottom of his sword's hilt into her stomach, making her bend over with a loud gasp. He then did a backward, reverse uppercut sending the woman crashing to the ground with a loud THUD before raising his sword and prepping to stab her through the gut. "Revenge hurts, doesn't it?"**

 **The woman barely rolled out the way in time, quickly getting to her feet to try ad get some distance, only for once again to be attacked by the man's monstrous blade. 'I've read many myths about these beings, but seeing them for myself makes them look like children story books! Their power is greater than I imagined! Their power... the literal opposite of Share Energy... I should have killed him when I had the chance, before the boy could transform!' the woman thought, sweat dripping down her forehead like waterfalls as she struggled to parry and block his blows, each one coming in with the force of a bullet train going at maximum speed. it was a surprise that her bones hadn't shattered from the strain they were being put under, although she suspected they would be aching for weeks if she survived this.**

 **Finally, with a large exertion of force, the man pushed her back before pointing the tip of his Sword at her. "Burn to ashes. Do it… Soul Edge." He spoke under his breath. From the eye of his Sword, a series of fiery trails spiralled out to the tip, forming a large fireball there. It grew, and grew, and grew as well as its intensity, the flames becoming more and more unstable. When it was big enough to rival the size of a human torso, the man thrusted his Sword slightly, a motion that launched the Fireball into the air and towards the direction of the Mystery woman.**

 **Said woman quickly rolled out of the way of the attack, feeling the intense heat from the following explosion when it hit the wall behind her. Getting up, she turned her head and her eyes, along with Neptune and Co, were wide with shock and disbelief. A huge burn mark had stained the wall as well as the ground, a trail of scorched dirt and small flaming embers left in its wake. "Holy… that could have been me." The woman muttered under her breath, awe and fear at the display.**

* * *

"Geez...!" IF gasped, eyes wide at the damage. "That could have killed her if she hadn't dodged." And she thought Plutia was bad, she bet that if this guy had the chance he would have killed Arfoire outright.

Not to say she didn't deserve it, nobody deserved to die even if the villains in their world were quote and unquote 'evil'.

Histoire's eyes gleamed when she heard the sword's name. The fact that it had a name too gave her pause and made her wonder why the CPUs' weapons didn't have names of their own. "Soul Edge... a dark weapon, for a dark transformation. I can only hope the future isn't as dark as I fear it might be."

* * *

 **Her head snapped back to look at the man who was readying his Sword, Soul Edge as he called it, for an overhead swing, fiery trails having coated the blade's edge which could only mean trouble. She gritted her teeth, before quickly generating a blast of Lightning shaped like the end of her Glaive, launching it at him.**

 **While it didn't do a thing to him directly, it did cause him to waste his charged attack to slash it in half. "Tch, you may win today, brats! But mark my words, I will be back! Hahahahahaha!" she exclaimed before kneeling on one leg as a pool of darkness gathered below her feet. The man's eyes widened when he saw this, and he quickly made to attack by flying towards her. He jumped into the air and came down in a wide sweep, trying to decapitate her. However, the woman sunk into the pool that vanished into thin air before he could, leaving his attack to only hit air when he landed.**

 **"Tch, she got away…"**

 **The man grumbled deeply at the fact that his enemy had gotten away, embers rolling off him in waves to respond to his irritation. He then stood straight before turning to the girls, who could only watch what happened without saying a word. When they saw he was looking at them, they tensed, fearing that they were next. The man simply regarded them for a short while, and it was one of the tensest moments the girls ever experienced.**

 **Heck, this man had just formed from the remains of their dead party member, Neptune and Compa still couldn't accept that he was gone by the way, and had literally curb stomped that woman when she was able to hold her own against them for a while. And he just forced her to retreat after a few attacks, sure they had weakened her but with the way that she recognised this man, it seemed that she would have fled regardless of if she fought them or not.**

 **Just when the man was going to make a move, his body was encased in a fiery cocoon, reminiscent of the last one, but this one lasted only a second before it dissipated, revealing a familiar sight. "NI-NI/NICKY/NICO?!" the girls cried, seeing their comrade standing without his armour but alive and well. Aside from some minor injuries, the boy looked relatively alright, no signs of being impaled as bad as he was before. Soon however, he began to fall forwards, only for Neptune to race to him and catch him in her arms.**

 **He was already out like a light.**

* * *

"Looks like the action is calming down..." IF noted as she paused the chapter to get everyone's thoughts. Also, it was a means of giving them some room to breathe, especially with what they just saw. She didn't know about the others, but the level of engagement that she felt in this story, the way it was written to utterly grasp er attention and never let go, it made IF's heart beat irregularly. To invoke something like that in someone like her... "So, what do you guys think so far?"

Neptune was the first to answer as she excitedly raised her hand while jumping up and down. "Oh!Oh!Oh!" she exclaimed, waving her hand in the air. "Pick me, pick me!" in the end, IF did so with a reluctant sigh. It seemed that the preteen still had that energetic nature of hers even if she looked a little flushed from the intensity the chapter showed. "I think it was badass! The MC really came through for us Protags everywhere!" she proclaimed, beaming happily with her hands on her hips. "I salute thee, Nico! You get the protag's badge of honor!"

"Pretty sure something like that isn't real, Nep-Nep..." Compa remarked, lightly sweat dropping. She then got everyone's attention as she leaned back on her seat, waving her hand over her face like it was a fan. "Whew, the intensity made me all sweaty. I'd like to have a bath after this to wash up before going to beddie." she replied, getting a nod from Histoire.

Said Tome also had a few things to say. "I must admit, I did not see this coming. While true, the near-death experience trope has been used before, if it is done rather well then reviewers wouldn't complain as much. Plus given how natural the writing has flown so far makes it very enjoyable to read." she stated. "It makes me want to look into the story' lore just to find out anything to do with what we have just seen. I would much like to meet this 'HunterxKKiller87' and see what he or she is like in person."

Noire huffed as she turned her head aside. "Well, i'm sure that I could do better than this person at writing if I could..." she remarked, though she did look surprisingly into the story, and wanted this convo to end so she could see where it would lead up to. She had so many questions, questions that hopefully this story would answer. "But Ill give this writer props for effort, though."

"Wow, lonely heart compliments someone! That's rarer than getting a legendary set of Armour on the first go in an MMORPG!"

"Shut it, Neptune!"

Eventually, they all sat back down to continue watching the chapter.

* * *

 **"Okay this is the second time I find myself here." Nico remarked with annoyance, crossing his arms under his chest as he stared at the familiar black void. At this rate, he was sure that it would be a reoccurring event or something, the last time he was here was when he'd 'died' after foolishly blocking an energy attack instead of something like ducking under it. He'd been here for a while, he didn't know how long exactly since he couldn't tell time and for some reason he didn't have his Bracers.**

 **That was a big impact on his state of calmness, Nico never left anywhere without them. Without them, he felt almost naked. It was like when someone forgot to take some sunscreen to the beach and got some sunburn on their privates. Yeah, that can happen. His Bracers were just as important to him as his armour was, they had helped him get through more tough scrapes than he'd care to mention.**

 **Another problem was his armour. The last thing he could recall was how the attack obliterated it down to the Armour Module, meaning that he'd likely never ve able to remake his previous armour again. That fact was a major blow to his self-esteem, as he'd spent so long with it, that it was like an extension of his body. And there was the fact that he had made so many mods for it to suit each situation he had found himself in. Without that armour, he might as well have lost his identity as DEATHSTROKE.**

 **'Ugh, I knew that one day this might happen… just wish it didn't.' the male thought in depression she looked downwards, or he thought he did, Nico couldn't tell, the void having no solid laws of space or time.**

 **'Ah, you are here. At last, we may speak.' A familiar voice echoed throughout the void, and Nico's eyes flew open in realisation. He knew who that voice was, and man was he glad to hear someone familiar or what? A sigh of relief escaped his lips, exiting into the air or… something, of the void around him.**

* * *

"Oh!" Neptune quipped in surprise. "He's talking to Histy like me!"

"I wonder if this Histoire knows anything about that power he used..." Noire mumbled thoughtfully under her breath.

Everyone else had similar thoughts in mind, but didn't voice them.

* * *

 **Looking upwards, Nico decided to extend the courtesy back to the voice he knew all too well. "Is that you, Histoire? Man, it's good to hear about a friendly face. Are you talking to me like you did with Neptune, supposedly in her dreams?" he asked the voice. Nico didn't know if she was up there, but Histoire didn't seem to mind Neptune doing it, so why not him?**

 **A small, quiet giggle came from Histoire's voice before she answered. 'Yes, yes I am young DEATHSTROKE. I came here to discuss important matters concerning your recent battle. To be more specific, the power that you used to come back. I do not have long however, so I will be brief.'**

 **Power? Nico furrowed his brows as he made to figure out what she meant by that like a certain famous detective. Soon enough the light of realisation shot into his eyes when he remembered the battle he'd fought the mystery woman in when he… died… "Wait, you serious? Well, I do have some questions about it, so go ahead."**

 **'Thank you. That power you used belonged to what is known as a Demon Patron Unit (DPU). It is a power that is a contrast to the powers of the Goddesses, and is usually more prominent when male Candidates contact their physical forms. You remember that crystal that you touched? That was what is known as a DPU Memory Core. It implanted itself inside you before slowly integrating its power into you, turning you from a normal person into a godly entity.'**

 **Nico's eyes bulged at that. Demons? Godly entities like the CPUs? Something told him that there was a LOT more to this story than meets the eye, but he remembered that Histoire had little time for this communication, so he held his tongue as he let her continue. 'The process to transform into a DPU is called Demon Drive Demonica, or DDD for short. This power is the dark counterpart to Share Energy, as it uses what is known as Demonic Energy. It is gathered both from the surroundings, as well as produced within the cores themselves, giving you a large supply of power for it. This power was feared by many however, and has been since lost to the annals of history for generations. You, young man, are the first DPU to be recorded in a VERY long time.'**

* * *

"Huh... so its basically like a dark CPU, and NOT those things we fought against when Kurome was doing her worst." IF mused, thoughtfully, almost in direct parallel to Noire.

Histoire nodded her head in agreement. "I wish my other would explain more, but it seems that she does not have much time. I remember the frustration I felt for not being able to speak for long time frames back then all too well."

"Histy, was it lonely being sealed away for so long?"

"You have no idea, Compa."

* * *

 **That was a lot to take in, Nico realised, as he felt his breath leave his body. He was stunned as evident by his expression as he stumbled back, before kneeling on one leg to try and get to grips of what he was being told. One part of him was shocked that he had become something akin to a demonic god, an entity not seen in many years if what Histoire was saying was correct. Another part of him was angry, angry that his humanity had been completely taken away by this power, his humanity was something he treasured deeply.**

 **However, he remembered his talk with the flaming face, and gave a sigh to let out all his anger, feeling a sense of acceptance fill his being in its place. He had agreed to this, Nico realised. He had agreed to becoming a monster in exchange for his chance at life once more. Well, he'd always been a monster, especially in battle. Now he was a monster in every sense of the word.**

 **No matter. He said he would come back even if he did as a monster, and the power followed through. Now he would follow through on his word. And if Nico valued one thing above anything else, it was his word. Nico always, ALWAYS, made sure to keep his word to the best of his ability. The problem was it was always dangerous making these promises because of the usual risk of death that is involved with his occupation. "I see… so is there anything I should know that you can tell me now?"**

 **'Yes, like the Goddesses, you too will experience personality changes whenever you transform. I would advise you to train on your new powers before you head over to the next landmass. As you are no doubt very aware, power is next to useless if you cannot control it regularly.' On that he could agree. There have been several examples on his travels as a Spec Ops Agent where that lesson needed to be learned. Too bad that many people just ignore it, and they pay the price.**

* * *

"That is true..." Histoire commented, frowning. She couldn't help but recall the times in the rebirth series when her old friend now enemy Arfoire got corrupted by the powers of the True Goddess. "If only people had more respect for the power they have, horrible events would not have happened..."

* * *

 **Histoire's tone soon turned grave at her next sentence, which told Nico to pay extra attention to her words. 'The Key to using this power is strong will. If you hesitate even for the slightest moment, the power shall attempt to devour you. Believe me, there is little else that can rival the power that a DPU holds, not even Goddesses can hold a candle to them when they fight at full power. It is said that they can literally rip entire continents to shreds with their powers. Demons, entities closely connected to DPUs, were well-known beings that took the place of monsters in current society. There were many, each with their own unique appearance and abilities. Furthermore, they were well known to promote Cannibalism in legends, and unfortunately that legend was true.'**

 **The male frowned at her words, but didn't feel too rattled by her revelations. The price for this power was the risk of being devoured by it, huh? well, he knew one other power that could contend with that. A power he had zealously made sure to keep a secret no matter what. "I see… so that's the downside I was looking for, huh…?" he mused under his breath, keeping quiet so Histoire wouldn't hear him.**

 **'I am sorry.' Histoire apologised, and if she could be seen, he would have seen her lowering her head in sadness. 'This power was originally lost to the annuls of history, never to return to our world. However, with things as they stand, this power would have resurfaced into history eventually. I only hope you have it in your heart to forgive me for not stopping this.'**

 **With the way she said that, Nico felt that she had a lot more connection to this power than meets the eye. Almost after realising that the male bopped himself on the head. 'Well duh, she said she was the tome that records history, right? No idea how she does it, but she does, so there must have been a time where this power ran rampant… I'll not ask her the details just yet, I'll instead focus on training with this power.' He thought to himself, before going to douse her worries. "It's alright, Histoire. I know what I'm doing. I resolved to come back even as a monster, and that's what I plan to do. Even as a monster, I will not change who I am as a person." He told her firmly, his eyes burning with resolve. He already walked the path of the monster before, so to hell he was stopping now.**

 **'… I only hope you are prepared for the trials you will have to face along your journey, Nico. But rest assured, I will be there to make sure your tale does not fade into the annuls of History. Now, I believe it is time for you to awaken. Neptune and the others are worried about you.' Histoire said after a moment's silence, before everything went white.**

* * *

"You know, I'm actually happy Nico just lets Histoire speak and only ponders in his mind." IF stated, getting everyone's attention.

"Why's that, iffy?" Neptune asked.

"You know how many shows have the protagonists scrambling about to get answers? Too many for my taste, so seeing someone actually keeping their composure at all, extracting information in their minds from what they are told is a refreshing sight to see."

* * *

 **Slowly, Nico's eyes opened as he returned to the land of the living. His eyes immediately deduced that he wasn't in the void anymore with the influx of girly colours. In the next second, Nico deduced he was in Compa's room, and when he looked around the male found that he was right. The male saw his Trench Coat hanging on the back of the door, with his footwear beside it and his holsters were on the table next to it. Looking at his arms made him sigh, relieved when he saw that his Bracers were still on. He'd have to thank Compa later for not taking them off too, he would feel more naked than he would without clothes on otherwise.**

 **His eyes darkened when he thought of his childhood friend, she must have been scarred heavily by such a brutal end to his life. Compa's mind wasn't as exposed to combat as he was, so she would be severely scarred by such an experience. If she hadn't snapped already, but she was a strong girl, plus he was alive now so hopefully that would negate the damage, somewhat. He would have to apologise when he got the chance to her, also to Neptune. Despite her cheerful nature, he knew she was just as innocent as Compa was, so seeing something like that was bound to rattle her.**

 **As he made to sit up, Nico found something didn't let him, a weight pressing down on his chest. 'Huh? what the hell?' the male wondered as he looked down, before sighing softly with his lips twitching ever so slightly. On top of him was a familiar bob of purple hair, arms wrapped tightly around his torso as if afraid to let go for even a second. 'I see… so she's been here for a while…' the male mused in his mind noticing the wrinkles on her clothes and how she looked to have been in that position for an extended time.**

 **A flash of guilt went through his heart at the sight. He didn't want to ruin the image, but he needed to get up and inform the Guild of what happened at the cave, minus a few details. With what he learned about this DPU power, Nico felt it best to keep it to himself for now. It would just cause unnecessary panic amongst the Basilicom staff, whom the Guild is a close associate of. Not to mention all the stuff he'd have to go through to see if he was still 'liable for work' as they say, when really it would be just experiments to replicate the power. He wouldn't lie, there were a lot of corrupt people in the Guild, not just the Agents.**

* * *

"Power corrupts, unfortunately..." Histoire stated, primarily aiming it towards the two CPUs in the room. "It can easily cause people to let it go to their heads and make them do things they normally wouldn't do. To quote from one movie 'with great power, comes great responsibility'."

"Gosh..." Neptune commented dully. "That's... pretty deep of you, Histy. Didn't think you would have it in you."

* * *

 **"Neptune, Neptune girl, time to wake up." He whispered soothingly, softly nudging her with his right hand. Several moans were all he got in response as the girl refused to wake up, moaning about '45 more minutes, I need pudding' or something along those lines. The male paused with a sigh, before wondering how else he could wake her. An idea popped into his head as a side of him was awoken by this display, his playful, prankster side. A side that was infamous when he and Compa were kids. An evil grin slowly, like a slow-moving plague, spread across his features as his eyes gleamed with sinister intent. Slowly, biting his lip to avoid chuckling at the idea he had, Nico pressed a few keys on his Bracer's holographic screen.**

 **In the next second, he had a loud speaker attached to his Bracer, which he placed right before Neptune's face, balancing it on his chest to get the best angle. He then manipulated his Bracer and found the 'music' section, quickly finding the song he wanted. It was harder to hold himself back from laughing at this. 'oh this'll be good… and it's be vengeance for nearly getting herself killed at the beginning of the Dungeon.' He thought evilly. Pressing a button on his Bracer. Nico grinned while biting his lips to watch the show.**

 **Slowly a small tune began to play, getting higher and higher until at the climax Nico amped the volume to max, the Speaker making it louder. The sudden shout of the word 'FALL!' echoed throughout the room, startling Neptune awake. "NEPUUUUU!" she screamed, while jumping into the air, flailing her arms slightly before falling to the ground with a THUD! She landed on the ground chest first with her arms sprawled out in front of her and her legs hanging over her head.**

 **Conveniently, the music stopped at this time.**

* * *

Cue restrained laughter and snickering from everyone save for a pouting Neptune.

* * *

 **The sound of laughter reached her ears as Neptune's brain began to wake up from the… loud wakeup call. Laughter that came from Nico as he held his gut, laughing so hard he was gasping for breath. Shooting to her feet, Neptune glared at him while puffing smoke out her nose. "Nicky, you're a meanie!" she shouted, the male not ceasing his laughter. "I was having the greatest dream about swimming in a pool of pudding, and you just HAD to ruin it!"**

 **Nico's laughter slowly decreased till it was reduced to mere cackles. Even so he found it difficult to breathe, let alone formulate his response. "S-Sorry Neptune #chuckles# b-but you w-w-were #laughs# not getting up so #cackles# I-I needed to use… more ex-extreme measures." He said between his muffled laughs as he cupped his mouth with his hands. Oh, how good it felt to be able to do that again, it had been too long since he was able to let loose his playful side like that. Usually he would be the calm, level-headed Spec Ops Agent, but deep down he did have some humour in his playful side. It was just heavily repressed.**

 **Nevertheless, his answer didn't quell the girl's anger any less. "Mou! Nicky your still mean… wait a sec, Nicky?" her eyes widened when she realised that the male was awake, sitting on the bed in his polo shirt and camp pants. Her eyes slowly shrunk to the size of a fingertip, her body shaking uncontrollably. At first the male had no idea what was wrong, until his earlier thoughts kicked in and he braced himself for what would happen next.**

 **"NICKY!"**

 **"OMPH!"**

 **In an instant, the girl has blurred forwards and jumped on him, pinning him down to the bed again with her head buried in the crook of his neck. The male had been startled by the force this girl had, and her grip was even stronger than before. not enough to cause him any discomfort, but enough to get the message across. With that, Nico let a soft sigh escape his lips as he wrapped his arms around the girl, one hand on her back and the other on the back of her head.**

 **"Hey-hey-hey, it's alright, it's okay…" he mumbled soothingly in her ear when he heard her start crying. He softly shook her from left to right, holding her close as she cried into his chest. "It's alright, I'm right here, shhh-sh-sh-sh-shhh…" he whispered soothingly as he repeatedly assured her that things were okay. He had an excellent idea of why she was like this after all, and the teen expected to do this a second time, too.**

 **Lifting her head so he could see her teary eyes, Neptune glared at him. "No it nepping isn't! you worried us sick, you heartless bastard!" his eyes widened when he heard Neptune uncharacteristically swear like that. For all the time he'd known her, Nico never once made her swear. She must really be upset with him for what happened, he realised. 'Jesus, this is worse than I thought…' he thought, feeling guilt pierce him like a sword to the heart. 'I really must have scared her when I got myself killed like that…'**

* * *

"Normally i'd be like 'whoa, enough of the sobbing, other me!'... but honestly, I'm too beat from everything to care at this point." Neptune stated.

* * *

 **Unconsciously, Nico tightened his grip on her back, frowning to himself. 'Damnit, now I feel like a jerk. Seeing these tears… I don't like it, they don't fit the Neptune I know. She shouldn't have to worry about a piece of shit like me.' He growled to himself before burying her into his embrace once more. "You… your right, Neptune. I should have seen that attack coming, so I'll do the man thing and apologise for worrying you like that…" he whispered into her ear, rubbing the back of her head and feeling her hair go between his fingers. "I'm sorry… sorry for worrying you like I did."**

 **"Yeah, you better be!" Neptune proclaimed as she managed to reduce her tears to sniffles after a moment's worth of effort. She then bopped a fist onto his chest, and while it didn't hurt him he could feel the emotion behind it. "First you worry this innocent maiden, then you make her break character like that. You're the worst…" she muttered, but despite her words Nico felt her grip tighten around him, so he in response did the same. "But still… you managed to return, so you kept your word to me… to us." She mumbled, both remembering the vow that Nico had taken to make sure he would return to them whenever he did something reckless or stupid. And what he did back there, taking on that woman alone was in that category.**

* * *

"Hah, not even death can keep this protag down, mwahahaha, not when he has maidens to please!"

"That sounds... sorta romantic, Nep."

* * *

 **The male nodded his head, his eyes brimming with seriousness as he gazed down at the preteen in his arms. "You know it… like I said, I keep my word. Remember I vowed it on the name of DEATHSTROKE." He stated. His eyes then looked to the side, sadness and nervousness mixing in those light blue orbs. "It's just difficult to know if I can deliver on my word. When one makes a promise… they should keep it otherwise they're the scum of the earth. I don't want to end up like those lying, cheating assholes in the world, I want people to be able to trust me when I give my word." He explained, sighing to himself. There would be people like that in the world, it was just human nature. It was like in that one song 'If everyone cared', this world would be a better place.**

 **Silence soon fell onto the two, silence that was not completely comfortable, but not too discomforting either. Soon enough the two untangled each other, and Nico gave the girl a concerned look as he decided to inquire about her state of being. "You okay now?" he questioned.**

 **Neptune slowly nodded as she wiped the last of her tears away. "Yah, I'm good…" she replied, breathing in and out methodically for a second. Afterwards she aimed a small chuckle towards him, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "Hehehe, man wasn't that a rush? I mean, the Nep of this franchise, breaking character like that? Man, the fans will be swarming this series if it ever gets published." She remarked.**

 **'Ahhh, I've never felt happier to hear her meta jokes than right now… shows she's making progress to recovery.' The male thought with a smile of his own. He knew that it would be a while till she fully recovered though, that kind of damage couldn't be healed in a few hours. Placing a hand on her shoulder, the male aimed a stern stare into her slightly widened eyes. "Neptune, if your ever in pain, just letting you know that I will be there. Remember my views on my word? Well, I'll give you my word that I'll try to help you through it, or just be there for you, got it?" he told her firmly, making sure she heard every word. Nico fully intended to keep that promise, like with any he makes. Its why he doesn't hand his word out willy nilly.**

 **To only promise something he knew he could keep... it was a risky move, but one that was necessary at this time.**

 **At the male's words and actions, Neptune felt a heat rising on her cheeks, and several things that made her question herself. 'Huh? what the heck is this? This feeling its very weird…' she thought to herself, and before things could continue down this road, Nico and Neptune heard the sound of the doorknob to Compa's room turning.**

* * *

"There, that's the end of the chapter, guys!" Neptune proclaimed as IF made to shut off the chapter for the night. However, both girls noticed something else before IF could do so. "Huh?"

* * *

 **Special Event: Bieber parody - Set while Nico is unconscious:**

* * *

"Special Event?" Histoire blinked curiously. "Hmm... this is indeed intriguing. Let us see what it is about, then we can go to bed."

Everyone agreed, and the chapter resumed.

* * *

 **Clad in a woolly dressing gown with matching fluffy slippers, Compa walked downstairs to make breakfast for the herself and her only still awake guest. Nico was still out of it from whatever had happened to him, so they couldn't make much progress on their she had to admit, Compa didn't expect to have such excitement happen in her life when she first opened her door to see her childhood friend/crush standing before her, nor when she and him helped bring Neptune back to her house for medical attention.**

 **Her thoughts were broken though, when she glanced off-handedly towards the living room. She stopped mid stride, one foot frozen in the air before it could take another step, at the... weirdness, that was going on before her.**

 **"Huh...? Nep-Nep, what are you-?"**

 **"Shhhhhhhhh! Its there, Compa, it's right there!"**

 **There, huddled in a ball with a massive blanket over her, was Neptune. Her head poked out of the massive cover which shook like it was in fright. The girl's expression matched it as well, her eyes wide and shaking with fright, much to Compa's concern. She hadn't seen the girl this scared of anything in the short time they had together, usually she would be trying to make meta jokes to calm the tension. Not this time, it seemed.**

 **"What are you talking about, Nep-Nep? What-?"**

 **"Look, just look at the TV!"**

 **Neptune thrusted an arm out and pointed at the TV in the room's far corner, which Compa hadn't noticed was switched on until now. The arm receded back into the covers of the blanket, which quivered like a shaken rabbit. Compa looked up at the screen herself... only to freeze at what was on screen.**

 ** _Ooh whoa, ooh whoa, ooh whoa_**  
 ** _You know you love me, I know you care_**  
 ** _Just shout whenever and I'll be there_**  
 ** _You are my love, you are my heart_**  
 ** _And we will never, ever, ever be apart..._**

 **Compa screamed as she saw a young boy of 12 on the TV screen singing about love, before she quickly shut the TV off and bolted straight inside the ball-like blanket with Neptune, increasing its shaking tremendously as the two girls tried to get over the recent cancer they just saw.**

 **"It was right there, Compa! It was everywhere!"**

 **"Shhhh, its okay Nep-Nep, the TV''s off now... we don't have to hear it anymore..."**

 **"... Let's stay in here for a while, I need to bleach my brain from those images.**

 **"Y-Yeah..."**

* * *

At the end, snickers and repressed laughs filled the room. It looked like those Special Event were like those side bits in the games, something to take the edge off an intense story. Hopefully with this, they would have more in the future.

"Now everypne, let us be off to bed." Histoire stated, before turning to the blackette CPU. "Since it is late, I shall inform the Oracle that you are staying over, if you would like"

"You know what...#yawn# yes, that would be lovely, thank you."

With that, everyone went to bed, fully satisfied with the chapter's conclusion. They DEFINITELY would be reading more of one arc was THAT good for sure. Maybe the others could join in, their sisters, the other CPUs, maybe some of the makers as well.

One thing;s for sure, Neptune wouldn't be bored... for a LONG while.

* * *

 **Chapter end!**

 **Whew, this one took a while to get out! Sorry guys, I was focusing on the main story as well as AOTD. Check them out if you'd like. Also, now that we're done with Planeptune's first Arc, it will be time for the transition into the next arc, the Lastation first arc. Hope you'll like to read it, and if anyone wants to try their own version of it, just let me know in the reviews or a PM. I'm both busy and inexperienced with this, so i'd like it if someone else would try as well. Still will update, but i'm sure others out there are better than me.**


	13. Chapter 13 - Reading Chapter 12

The morning soon came to Gamindustri to say hi.

At first, things seemed to go pretty well for the citizens of this peaceful, fun-loving world filled with wonderful girls and loads of ecchi for the perverts out there. One could say that this would have been the preferred type of lifestyle for the people, whom considering how they had to deal with several major incidents already, wouldn't be that surprising.

However, like all things, they had to come to an end eventually.

* * *

In the middle of the afternoon, Neptune bounded back into the living room, looking like she had ran through a forest with nothing but her clothes. Various twigs, branches and... were those animal parts? clung to her frame.

Even so, she went on with her day not noticing these, that is until she got back. "Ahhhhh, home sweet home! Having read that story arc several times when the others weren't around really gave me some inspiration!" the preteen exclaimed happily. Her eyes then became ones of confusion when she smelled something... off. "Huh? What's this nasty smell my Nep nose smells?" she wondered, blinking before she set about sniffing herself.

Soon, she realized her current state, and her face twisted into a disgusted one. "Eeeeeewwwwwwwww! I smell so bad! I smell like a bumpkin who took a trash dive! Didn't I do that in the first game's reboot? I didn't even smell back then though, what the heck?! Well, anyways, better skedaddle to the bathroom to clean myself off. Don't wanna get yelled at by Hist again, especially since I got inspired to do some quests. I swear, if Histy learns this, she'd probably build a religion about this story with croccodile tears." she remarked, chuckling to herself.

"Why hello, Neptune."

"ZOINKS!"

Just as she said all that however, Neptune suddenly jumped, performing that position where any anime character nearly falls over with X's for eyes. This was only for a few seconds, before Neptune recovered to see who it was. Low and behold, the expression 'speak of the devil and he shall appear' applied here since Histoire floated into the room... Looking like she had just come back from having a massage or something of equal pleasure. "Uhhhhhh, heya Histy, fancy meeting you here. Ahahahahaah…!" Neptune proclaimed uneasily, chuckling whilst rubbing the back of her head. She honestly looked like a child caught by her parents sneaking cookies out of the cookie jar... only for her, it would be pudding instead or that one time where she tried to 'borrow' from the Nation's money supplies to get some more Pudding.

She got the lecture from hell that lasted over 3 days for that one...

"Yes it is, and before you go shower as you apparently have gotten dirty during your work..." Histoire began with that angelic smile of hers. A smile that absolutely spawned numerous tremors down the Landmass known as Neptune. "You will be pleased to know that our little 'activity' has garnered some interesting attention from the other Countries."

"Eh?"

Just as Neptune made to comment on how this happened, she saw something flash outside. "Huh? I see some weird glows in the distance..." Neptune mumbled... before she realized who those glows belonged to. "Aw, Neps"

Several moments later...

"Alright Neptune, WHAT is going on here?!"

"You better have a goddamn good explanation about this, ya hear?!"

"I agree too, I am quite vexed about these events unfolding."

Three characters of the Neptunia franchise stood in the room, glaring down at the cornered Neptune... who just so happened to have changed into a mouse costume for players to feel sad for her...

Not like the cold-hearted memers have any sympathy for her.

One was Noire herself.

Secondly, was a woman who looked to be in her 20's, with a much more... adult-like figure than the rest of them. Her blonde hair cascaded down to her waist like waves in an ocean, with deep sad-looking dark blue eyes. The woman wore an emerald green dress with gold markings. Her hands were covered by big yet loose light green and white gloves. Just under her armpits there were these green band-like accessories that had golden markings, just like her dress. Around her neck, she wore a big white collar with green lining around the bottom, with a very thin white cloth connecting the dress and neck piece together. On top of that, there was a red ribbon with gold outlines and a golden centre, with a blue gem, on top. Along the top part of her white skirt was a big peachy coloured bow, tied behind her. At the centre, was a gold circular piece with a small blue gem in the centre and tiny red ribbon with gold in the centre. The skirt had a slit in the side, exposing one of her legs, which had this white cloth material going down the side, ending at her feet which were covered in green big, loose socks that flared behind the ankles, and white heels. Her hair was no longer in a ponytail, instead it hung down like a layer of swaying water, and her eyes didn't have any eyeglasses on them. A bit more descriptive version of Leanbox's CPU Vert/Green Heart, but certain degenerates won't mind that.

Last but not least was a young woman... one who could be described as the most 'petite' of the group, though don't let anyone hear one call her that otherwise they'll be smashed to pieces by that Hammer she often uses in her human form... lets not get into the weapon she uses in HDD #SHUDDER#. She had light brown short hair, going down to her chin and her fringe is kept parted to the left, with dark blue eyes. She wore a large and puffy white hat on her head, with ornate blue lining and brown patterns on it, with a white top-dress which presumably went down to her knees. This dress was sleeveless at the top, and had much chocolate-brown lining around that area. She seemed to wear a brown belt over this dress, as to keep it form-fitting. Her final part of her outfit was the excessively long and thick white and brown gloves, which nearly went up to her shoulder and had large frills protruding out of the back of them. Everyone still here: meet Lowee's CPU Blanc/White Heart.

"Nep-Nep looks like she's having fun..."

"I sometimes question what your definition of 'fun' is, Compa."

Histoire, whilst putting her fingers on the bridge of her nose to nurse one of the many migraines she had suffered this weak, turned to look at the entrance to see IF and Compa standing by there, having just come in from their daily routines. "Ah, IF, Compa. Welcome back." she greeted with a smile of tiredness on her features. "As you can see... Neptune's just reaping the consequences of her prior actions this last week. With all the quests she took, surpassing any other adventurer or Guild agent by 200%, Planeptune's shares skyrocketed. In fact, she didn't even sleep, she just kept questing and as a result... yes, this is it. She just woke up from a several day nap, only to wake up to...this."

"I see... that explains why a lot of my colleagues at work were complaining about the shortage of quests today." IF stated as she watched the show before her, Compa merely chuckling like this wouldn't be anything major.

It would only be the usual for these four.

* * *

Eventually, Neptune managed to (after a quick shower when Blanc finally noticed it), explain the situation to the girls on how her shares went up so highly. To say that they had been flabbergasted would be an understatement...

"Histoire, is this really true?" Noire questioned, turning to the Tome Fairy. "Did Neptune REALLY do all those quests so much she drove herself into a multi-day sleep coma?"

Histoire confirmed this within her tome after 3 minutes, before nodding to them. "Indeed. Neptune has indeed been doing as she had just told you. She had some... inspiration, from a certain fanfiction we are reading together, which prompted this." she explained.

"A fanfiction inspiring Neptune..." Blanc mused, looking down before staring blankly at Histoire. Well, at least she wasn't about to go all psycho on their asses, no wait that was either Rei Ryghts or Iris Heart's job. "Must be an interesting read." she remarked, and though she tried to hide it, none of them wee able to miss the look of supreme intrigue behind her gaze. Blanc was a fanfiction writer herself after all, as cringy as it may sound.

Vert however, didn't hide her intrigue about this fanfiction at all though, especially at the possibilities inside it. "A piece of literature which was made by one of our fans... well, I can already predict the amount of lewd and lemony goodness inside those things..." she remarked, remembering all the lemon fanfics which she had read online. Some of them were pretty decent, while others... well, it wasn't worth mentioning those. An idea soon came to her mind, and stars began twinkling in her eyes as her hope meter SKYROCKETED. "maybe I'll even be able to see if there's any exotic BL scenes! Ooooh! I can imagine it right now...!"

"Aaaand, we've lost her..." Noire dryly commented, staring blankly as Vert got lost in her own fantasies. "Saw that coming a mile away... but anyways, what the hell Neptune?!" Noire shrieked with an embarrassed hue on her lips. "The majority of fanfictions are of male OC's getting harems after coming from another world! There's so many they've become bland, so how can you be so excited after reading one of these?!"

Even though she herself had already read the chapters, she refused to admit that it inspired her to begin developing a Nico Cosplay.

Before Neptune could reply to that, Compa jumped in. "Actually Noire, I took a look at the author's profile picture, even made a small account to let me PM him and he says that he too was disappointed by the blandness of these fanfics. So he decided to take to the planning board and start up his own but make his unique. He's even got a side story later on, which starts after chapter..." she looked down at her phone, which she had taken out to show the writer's profile picture, after pausing her speech. She then looked back to Noire as she resumed talking. "148 I believe. The story's gotten over 100 favs and followers, too! Though the review count's quite low, so the fic should get way better!"

"Wait, over 100?!" At this, Neptune pretty much discarded her mouse outfit, revealing her original one beneath, and scooted over. Her eyes widened in amazement as she saw this was true. "Dude, that rocks! This guy must put a lot of effort in, especially if its... OVFER ONE MILLION WORDS? NEPU?! THAT'SS LIKE A FULL ON NOVEL!"

THAT got Blanc's attention, 1 million words for a simple fanfiction? That's definitely dedication if she ever heard of it. She now REALLY wanted to meet this author, but for now she decided to settle down for this fanfiction. "If that's the case, then I'd like to see what this story's about. Can we get started?" she requested, and though she didn't say it out loud, Noire found herself equally interested too.

"Of course, we all just assembled here so we could read it together. Have a seat everyone, i'll set up the viewing device."

With that, Histoire got to work whilst everyone made themselves at home (IF pulling Vert out of her fantasies by hugging her whilst exclaiming 'Big sis!' much to her embarrassment. Got a huge face-full of her breasts for that one), Neptune and Compa filling the newcomers in on what had happened so far. Compa even showed them the chapters they had read up till now, and they had similar reactions. Once the projector began to play, Compa pulled the next chapter up on her phone so everyone could sit down, relax, and enjoy the story together.

* * *

 **Chapter 12 - RnR, training, Lastation**

* * *

"YES! MY NATION'S COMING!"

"Wow Noire, excited are we?"

"I-I don't know what your saying, Vert. Wasn't e-even talking to you, a-anyways!"

* * *

" **Nep-Nep, me and Iffy are back with the shopping… NI-NI YOU'RE AWAKE!" As Compa made a replay of what Neptune done previously, Nico sighed to himself. This was an eventful morning, to say the least.**

* * *

 **After he'd managed to comfort Compa enough that she wasn't crying anymore, then enduring the scolding that came after, Nico looked like he'd been through hell and back, ironic considering his new power is based from demonic entities. IF had watched the whole thing by the door, leaning on its frame with her arms folded and a smirk on her features. "Man dude you must have low stamina if this is what it takes to run you dry."**

* * *

"Of course, a combo of Nep and Compa can exhaust anyone..."

IF said that, which got nods of agreement from everyone else, which earned them frowns from the mentioned girls. Though, they didn't say anything since they'd be rebuked by everyone else in the room.

* * *

 **Even with his weakened state, Nico, who was now sitting on the ground against a wall leaning on it, gave her a weary yet playfully mad look. "Hey, consoling upset girls is tougher than it looks. In fact, I'd like you try it and see where it gets you. Trust me, dealing with crying girls' is a lot more difficult than it looks… though I do recall other Agents having 'physical' means of consoling them." He mused, knowing what kind of reaction it would get out of them.**

* * *

"Pervert..." IF muttered, blushing whilst looking away. Her face being red though, implied a couple things...

* * *

 **At the words, he used and the images in her mind born from said words, IF's face turned red and she looked away, huffing. "Pervert." She retorted, refusing to look at the male as she tried to quell the blush of embarrassment on her face... as well as the thoughts of what those 'physical' 'consoling' methods were. She thought that would help her situation, but with how the images only appeared with more clarity in her mind, some of them involving… her… it only made things worse! Her blush slightly increased at the ones with her in them, no matter how many times she tried to stop herself.**

* * *

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Neptune exploded into laughter on her seat, before making a certain okay symbol that's been memed about. "Get em!"

IF glared at her for that one.

* * *

 **Nico raised a brow at her, too tired for his usual responses to being called a pervert. "Says the girl whose likely imagining fantasies right now." He remarked with a small, knowing smile. Even as tired as he was, Nico was still able to notice the blush and quickly deduce what could have caused it. He couldn't help it, this girl seemed to be the type who is easy to tease. He bet that when the time comes, Neptune would begin teasing her just like he was.**

 **If her red face was any indication, then his words and opinions must ring truth.**

 **"Sh-Shut up!"**

* * *

"Sh-Shut up!" This time, the brunette yelled in synch with the her on the screen, this time at the laughing Neptune and the giggling Compa. She didn't notice the amused smirks from Vert and the others though.

* * *

 **After a moment, IF released a breath and focused on a topic that was worth discussing. She did want to question Nico about how he survived that experience, but this had to come first. "All that aside, I couldn't have imagined the monsters coming from the Disk." She remarked while summoning the Monster Disk from her Inventory. She looked it over while making sure not to activate it. she was sure that the Nurse-In-Training wouldn't appreciate a monster running loose inside her house.**

 **Nico's expression turned from weary to serious in an instant, his eyes narrowing sharply at the Disk. "You can say that again, IF." He agreed with a nod. He then cupped his chin and became thoughtful. "I guess that these can be the cause of the mass spike in Monster populations, but the possibility of them making the Abnormals is still a mystery. I mean what we found is that these summon the usual monsters, not the ones I fight daily."**

 **The Brunette had to agree with him there. If these Disks summoned normal monsters, then the mystery of the newer monsters, the Abnormals, was still at large. Also, it was well known that Normal and Abnormal Monsters behaved drastically differently from each other, and it had been recorded that the Abnormals could breed... just in their own ways while normal monsters just spawned... likely from these Disks.**

 **Meanwhile, Compa, who sat on the bed to calm down and wipe away her left over tears, soon added her opinion to the conversation once her eyes were completely dry. "Yes. But now the monsters won't be coming out anymore." She said happily as IF placed it back within her Inventory. They planned to destroy it at the earliest convenience, which would likely be before they go to the next Landmass. It would be problematic if they were found with it when the Basilicom checked them over. "If we beat all the other monsters, everything will be back to normal again."**

* * *

Meanwhile, Compa hummed to herself, pondering her other self's words. "I guess that could work..."

Noire however, had other opinions. "I wouldn't be so sure, Nico looks like he's about to say something."

* * *

 **"I'm not so sure about that, Compa." The Spec Ops Agent spoke, getting her attention along with the others. Nico stood up from his spot on the ground and walked over to an empty seat. He pulled it around so he could sit on it and put one leg onto his thigh, before he continued. "Even if we destroy the Disks, chances are the monster population may be unaffected, after all even if the Disks are their origins, they aren't any different from normal monsters. They have reproductive systems, which means they'll breed to keep the numbers as high as they are. Furthermore, if someone made those Disks, chances are they can make more to scatter to the areas we've been to, so the monsters will keep on rising. What we need to do is find out more information, then we can determine a proper course of action." He explained, gone was his playful side, now it was the Spec Ops Agent DEATHSTROKE that was talking.**

* * *

"Huh... that's quite interesting..." Vert commented thoughtfully, pondering his words. "According to what I was told back then, it sees that Arfoire was spreading them, so it would make sense for her to visit the areas we went to first to re-plant those Disks. Guess that explains the respawning monsters back then. As to why they respawn NOW, aside from the breeding theory who knows..."

* * *

 **A hum came from the brunette, which drew gazes from Nico to her instead. She didn't seem bothered, in fact she did it intentionally as something came to her regarding the topic of discussion. "About the Disk… how about we call it an "Enemy Disk"?" she suggested. It would be too tedious to keep calling them 'Disks' all the time, the term was too generic, and it would cause confusion if they were talking about one type of Disk while meaning another.**

 **Compa did the same thing IF did, humming as she tested the name out on her tongue, "Enemy Disk…" she mused, holding an index finger on her chin while looking up at her ceiling. The name sounded alright, in her mind, though she didn't know why IF suggested this. Let's just say she wasn't the brightest tool in the shed and leave it at that.**

 **IF nodded, "While we need a name for these things to give them proper terminology, Nico here is right. If the Disks are around, we'll keep getting more monsters until we can't handle them all." She explained, which caused frowns to spread onto the faces of the others, Nico's being the worst of them all. The danger the Monsters posed was no less real now that they had discovered their origins, in fact it seemed to have more weight on it' shoulders than ever. If the monster populations kept rising like they were, then the entire Nation may be overrun with them if they decided to attack in mass, and by that point even the Spec Ops Agents may get overrun.**

 **"That's not good…" Compa said with worry, to everyone's agreement. They were all aware of the danger to the world these monsters and the Abnormals posed, hell, it was expressed with perfect clarity back at the Monster Cave, a shudder travelling down her spine at the thought of the horrid Banshees. Their appearance, mannerisms and breeding cycles disgusted her more than anything she'd ever seen. She knew nature could be brutal, but that fact could never have prepared her for what she saw down there. In her heart, Compa figured that Neptune and IF would agree with her on this.**

 **If that was one of the enemies Nico and other Spec Ops Agents fought... then just else do they fight daily?**

* * *

Remembering the appearances of those Banshees, everyone had to repress shudders, especially the ones who had actually SEEN them.

* * *

 **Seeing his friend worry, Nico stood up and went to her, patting her on the shoulder in a comforting manner. "Don't worry Compa. We can plan against the monsters with what we know now." He told her, easing the girl's worries slightly. It was true after all, they had more information than they did before about how to get rid of more monsters than they did before, which would be a huge help to Planeptune and by extension, Gamindustri.**

 **Their short moment of silence and seriousness was utterly shattered when Neptune came back into the room, having gotten some pudding from Compa's fridge and eating it up while the three were talking about the serious matter she didn't get. "Mmm! Pudding after work really hits the spot! Um, you got more, Compa?" she asked, bounding up to the girl with various love hearts coming out the top of her head. 'What the hell? Nah, I'll not question it, its Neptune after all…' Nico thought, sighing at how the preteen had busted the atmosphere entirely. She'd literally came in like a wrecking ball. The image of Neptune on a ball swinging into a building while singing with some black shades over her eyes came to mind, making a small smile of amusement form on his lips.**

 **The others though, they remained silent as they glanced at each other, one looking like they were embarrassed of something, (Compa) and the other had a look that just shouted 'really?' on her face (IF). Soon Neptune noticed their stares and Nico having hidden his smirk behind a hand, and her face morphed from happiness to confusion. "Hm? What's the matter? Why so serious?"**

* * *

"Neptune... why are you wearing a Joker mask?"

"What's wrong, Noire? Why so serious?"

"..."

* * *

 **IF's face morphed to one of irritation as she face-palmed herself, shaking her head at Neptune's idiocy and her lack of any awareness at the situation at all. "Are you kidding…?" she mumbled under her breath. Seriously, Neptune should be at least a little concerned about the situation, it was threatening the lives of every person in Gamindustri after all. Plus, se was their party leader, that wasn't a position where you could just be a lazy bum. Why wasn't Nico the party leader again? That would make much more sense than Neptune at least.**

 **Compa, seeing the brunette's distress, offered a small smile of comfort as she went and patted her on the back. "Um, Iffy? Nep-Nep gets a little tired after she changes, so can you let it go?" she requested, while also doing a pleading face which looked extra adorable on her features.**

 **Looking up at her, IF saw the sight and felt all her resistance crumbling away. She twitched her brow in annoyance when she heard the snickering of Nico behind her, but she didn't say anything to him as she was busy being held by Compa's pleading face. Eventually, she released a breath and let it go for now, Neptune did seem a little less energetic than she did before, probably from the 'consoling' (another blush as images resurfaced) that Nico had to do for her. "#Sigh# If you say so, Compa. I'll let it go, this time."**

* * *

"Wow, Iffy... you must have more of a pervy side than even a guy would..."

"Compa…"

"Okie dokie iffy: Nep-Nep, here's some 'quiet pudding'"

"Yaaaaaay…!"

* * *

 **A relieved sigh escaped Compa's lips, and after a quick thank you from her, she returned to her seat on the bed while Neptune had taken a beanbag on the floor, happily doing her own thing like the child she was. It seemed that Nico's consoling had worked wonders more than he had expected, much to his surprise. Perhaps he'd done something right and he hadn't known it?**

 **Soon enough the next topic IF brought up took his attention away from that instantly. "Going back on subject, I'm more interested in that lady. Who was she?" she wondered, frowning as did the Spec Ops Agent. He had not forgotten that woman who wore that witch outfit. He had not forgotten how she nearly took him away from his comrades forever with those energy attacks, so he wanted payback when he saw her next.**

 **"Looked like she was connected to the Monsters, she did say she was looking for her Queen when she surprised us like that." Compa suggested. she frowned when she remembered what she and Nico had been talking about as they recovered, the fact that she had attracted the Banshees to the Monster Cave still caused a firestorm of righteous fury to rise within her. "Do you think she might have been looking for the Key Fragments like we are?"**

 **This made Nico's frown turn into a scowl. "In all honesty I believe so, with how she used the Banshees like she did, but I can't help but think that there's more to it than that. she didn't say her motives for her actions, and if she didn't have any it means she's much more dangerous than any Abnormal. Someone that deranged would cause cataclysmic damage to the world if left unchecked.. We can't be the only ones looking for these Fragments, whoever sealed Histoire away in the first place must want to keep it that way, thus is searching for them too." He reasoned after a moment's worth of thinking it over inside his head.**

 **It would make sense that the person who sealed Histoire away for so long had not wanted her to be set free, as well as very powerful to seal away an entity like her, he figured. Then, there was the fact that whoever sealed her may have taken precautions to set up traps and the like to drive people away from where the Key Fragments were. They would have to be careful if they wanted to get them all, he figured. 'Maybe I can record the signature the Key Fragments have to let my Bracers track them on the radar?' he wondered, before falling into a state of contemplation of what to do for the future.**

* * *

"Interesting..."

"What's so interesting, Noire?"

"From what I can tell, it looks like Nico is quite the analytic individual, who actually uses his head in these situations unlike a lot of isekai protags."

"Do remember Noire that this is no Isekai protagonist, which is a plus in and of itself."

"True, Blanc, true..."

* * *

 **While Nico would be temporarily out of it thanks to his new thought process, Neptune, who had now been paying attention while she sat on her bean bag, hummed in thought before beaming brightly, bouncing up and down on her little resting place. "Well then, if that's the case, then we better act quick before she gets them." She told them all. Everyone did have to admit that she had a point, which was rare for someone like Neptune. It was best that they got moving as quick as possible. Whoever was searching for the Key Fragments, if someone even was looking for them, would likely have access to more information about them than they did, thus it would be best if they got moving soon.**

 **Compa nodded to them all, just as eager as the rest of them to get started. "Yes. Let's go get ready right away." She exclaimed, walking to where she had put her Syringe. she then placed it in her inventory, while everyone else got ready to head out. "Oh, I' suggest we go to Lastation, next. Sadly, the other Nations are inaccessible for the time being, so Lastation's our only call." she added on as an afterthought. Apparently, monster attacks had escalated, and thus the mentioned Nations had withdrawn access into their borders for the time being.**

 **Just before they were all ready for a journey. however, a familiar male voice suddenly broke the silence that had filled the air in Compa's bedroom. "Hold on you guys." Nico began, standing up as he stopped them from doing what they intended. Both Neptune and Compa looked up from their positions, Compa about to reach for the door while Neptune made to head outside to get her shoes. Both had confused looks on their faces, so Nico went and elaborated. "We can't go yet, I mean, I do intend to join you guys on this Quest but there's some things I have to do beforehand." He explained. "First thing is this: we need to get you girls trained."**

* * *

"Okay, this guy just HAS to be doing this on purpose!"

"What are you saying, Iffy?"

"Its just one sexual innuendo after another with this guy, Nep!"

* * *

 **"Eh? Why do we need to train, we have that awesome gear you got us, Nicky." Neptune question as her mind tried to process where he was going with this. To her, training wasn't something she did thanks to this being a gaming franchise with cute girls, weird monsters and levelling systems. She could understand EXP Grinding, but actual training sounded like a foreign concept to her.**

 **IF's eyes narrowed as a hint of what he intended entered her mind. She stood by the Desk Compa had while thinking back to the battles they had together. "Ah, you intend to make us more aware of our abilities than we already are, enough so that we could fight Abnormals more effectively, right?" she questioned knowingly. That was what he got from her gaze, anyways, like she had figured him out.**

 **While she did hit the bull's-eye there, that wasn't all that Nico intended for training the girls. Before he could elaborate, Compa beat him to it as she tilted her head cutely, a look of blissful angelic innocence on her features. "Um, you sure training us would be a good idea? I think we specialise enough traits to cover our behinds." she questioned him with mild concern.**

 **The teen quickly elaborated on his point, seeing as Neptune and Compa hadn't gotten it. "Back in the Monster Cave I watched you girls fight, and while you weren't bad, there are many areas that you need to improve in. Also, Neptune, remember when you said you had your sword disarmed from you?" he asked her, directing his gaze to the preteen who nodded in response. "What did you do then? You went for your sword, leaving yourself vulnerable to the enemy. Its a problem I've seen with a lot of adventurers these days, that they rely too much on their weapons. Abnormals, as you have both undoubtedly seen, are way too different from normal monsters to be classified as such. They are stronger, faster, and way less predictable, making them deadly opponents on the battlefield. Also, they will show you no mercy if you give them the opportunity, and with your current Skills, that will undoubtedly happen. Thus, training is required, and I shall be your instructor."**

* * *

"Oh, so its COMBAT training... Iffy, we need to have a talk about your pervyness. Do we need to get you laid already?"

"Shut it, Nep!"

* * *

 **His words stunned the girls into silence. They tried to think of something to rebuke him with, but thinking back on it, their past battles with the Abnormals was won either due to Nico, or weapons and armour provided by Nico. IF had her DEMON FLAMES Skill to take large groups of Banshees out, so her Abnormal Kill Count was the second largest out of their group. However, even that wasn't a full-proof plan of attack since A: it drained her to use it constantly, and B: Because they were there to back her up. But, what happens if they had to fight Abnormals alone? With nobody to back them up? While teamwork was a good skill to have, individual Skills were just as important, and right now they were lacking when compared to average Spec Ops Agents, who fought tough Abnormals on a daily basis.**

 **Looking at their faces, Nico quickly deduced that they had seen his point, and when he saw them reluctantly nod in acceptance, he knew that they had agreed to his training. "Also, Neptune, Compa." both girls perked up when they heard their names mentioned. "You both want me to do better to protect myself, right? Well, there's another motivation to train. No mater what, I'm not stopping my crazy stunts, especially if they result in saving your skins, so why not become stronger so you can stand on your own two feet? That way I won't have to resort to drastic measures to protect you both."**

 **Now THAT got their spirits raised, the thought of Nico not having to do more of his crazy stunts making them much more eager to train. What he said had merit, if they trained so that they were strong enough to warrant him not going so far for them, then they could sleep easier at night. They could also tell why he hadn't included IF in that moment, since she was the newest member of the Party, thus she didn't know them very well. The only one she had a semblance of knowledge on was Nico, and even then it wasn't that much.**

 **The male gave them a comforting smile as they beamed at the prospect of him not risking his life, before his lips dropped into a frown as sadness seeped into his eyes. "I also must inform the Guild about my armour."**

* * *

"Oh yeah, Ni-Ni's armour got busted thanks to that meanie version of Arfoire…"

"If it were Iffy's phones, then I bet she'd be depressed for days..."

"Right after beating her ass! Nep, you remember that time you put a virus on my phones when looking for memes on it!"

"..."

* * *

 **Hearing about the armour caused saddened reactions from the girls. Neptune and Compa especially since they could tell how precious Nico's deployable Armour was to him. He'd explained how it had been with him for a long time, since the start of his career even, so seeing that it was gone was like saying goodbye to an old friend you'd never see again. A warrior's weapon and armour was like his soul, his livelihood, his history, the chips on the armour, the areas where painting was scratched off, showed a long history of Combat that made the warrior wearing it feel proud of himself, his accomplishments, and his mistakes, for they were etched into his very being so that he would be reminded of them and the lessons they taught. To lose something so precious, so important... it was like taking away Neptune's pudding or Compa's dream to be a nurse.**

 **IF looked down at the ground as she frowned, before looking up at the depressed male. "Well, you don't have to actually, when we brought you back here after you fell unconscious, I returned to the Guild and informed them what happened. Save for the fact that you apparently transformed and beat that woman to a pulp." She explained, before giving a pointed stare towards the male. He knew what that meant, he was going to have to explain what that was and how he'd come back to life.**

 **But for now, he focused on the fact that she'd informed the Guild about their Mission. "Eh? You said you gone to the Guild, so… how long was I out?" he asked her, for the woman to hold up 4 fingers. at first, he didn't know what she meant so he guessed the time she was referring to. Minutes, no Hours, no. Days... weeeell... yeah. His eyes widened when he realised this was the answer. "What?! You mean I was out for 4 days?!" he exclaimed in shock. Four days?! How the hell did that happen?! A calmer part of his mind told him it may be an aftereffect of using his DPU form for the first time, which lowered his panic levels slightly, though not by much.**

* * *

"Hey, Histy? Why does that seem like a close second to your habit of having 3 of something to do anything?"

"Compa, I doubt that's the case..."

* * *

 **IF nodded, sighing as her face took on a weary expression while remembering what happened. "Yeah, though I must admit when I called the WDD head, I didn't expect her to go all mother hen on me. I almost thought she was going to reach trough the phone like those cartoons you se on TV and throttle me. Anyways, I told them that your armour module bit the dust," she grimaced at the memory while the other girls shook a little, not liking that encounter. "And that you would need a new one. Luckily for you, however, it seemed that when you were at the WDD last, they'd made an exact replica of your Armour in case that you would break your own. They will have to transfer the data of your modifications to it though, so it won't be ready for a while yet."**

 **After she said that, an idea popped into Nico's head and he checked his right Bracer. He manipulated it when he saw a letter icon on the top right corner of the screen, till it showed a holographic list of messages. He pressed on the newest one, and a smaller screen appeared in front of the list. He read the message:**

 ** _From: Guild WDD head manager_**

 ** _To: DEATHSTROKE_**

 ** _Greetings DEATHSTROKE. We have heard about the recent Banshee Infestation at the Monster Cave, and deeply regret the loss of your armour. It was a fine piece of equipment; thus, it will be dearly missed. However, we were fortunate enough to have another Module on standby for situations like this. We will require time to customise it to your specifications, fortunately for us you made sure to keep your mods updated on your profile. We will make it so that the Armour will be just like your last one, with all its scars from previous battles._**

 ** _Come to the WDD section when we tell you to, then we shall refit the Module to your body. Until that time, we suggest that you refrain from fighting Abnormals unless necessary, restricting yourself to ordinary monsters. Notifications have been made to the Guild Roster managers that you will be on temporary suspension from Urgent Quests, furthermore your co-workers have been informed of your status._**

 ** _Good luck, and may the path you walk on be fruitful._**

 ** _Yours sincerely,_**

 ** _Helena Dawson WDD Head Manager._**

 ** _PS: MY BABY! Oh, I'm so-so-so-sorry about your beloved Armour! I will make sure it is returned to you, post haste! You know me, I'm always a woman of my word, hehehehehe! Maybe I'll put in some upgrades I've been thinking about, you never know... tee hee._**

 ** _PSS: Please call me, I'm dying to hear from my beloved little boy, gimme loads of hugs and kisses through the Camera, please! Mwah, Mwah!_**

* * *

"Wow, SHE sounds like an interesting character to meet! I wanna see who this 'Helena' is!"

"...Noire, please make sure there's nobody here like this woman if or when we see her, and more importantly, make sure Neptune never meets her, I can only imagine the chaos that'd ensue."

"Will do, Vert."

* * *

 **Nico finished reading the message, and gave a sigh as he closed everything with his Bracer. He then fell back onto his seat while rubbing his temples with his thumb and index fingers. "That woman... ugh, she's so dramatic, I swear..." he muttered under his breath. The girls gave each other confused looks, from the beginning to th end of the message, Nico had shown a variety of emotions. From professional calm, to anger, to relief, then embarrassment, and finally exasperation. It seemed whoever sent him that message was someone who was... extreme, sort of like Neptune. "Whelp, looks like you were right, IF. Thanks for that, I really appreciate it." he told her with a small smile, despite the grimace he had done earlier.**

 **The brunette nodded with a small smile, glad that she had helped one of the Spec Ops get back on his feet. "No need for that, we're fellow Mercenaries, so it was the least I could do. Plus, you did help me twice now, once with those scumbags and twice with the Banshees. Consider this partial repayment of that debt." She said with a small smirk. Nico nodded, his smirk rivalling hers, it was good to see someone within the Guild that had a moral code like he did. it was a refreshing experience.**

 **Her smirk fell soon after, though, and her eyes gave a pointed stare towards him. "Now that we have a chance, why don't you tell us what exactly happened back there. How the heck did you come out of that attack like you did? and what the heck was with that transforming ability you have?" she asked, but it felt more like a demand really. Though he couldn't blame her, he was still trying to grasp the reality himself.**

* * *

"Ooooh, that look! That look when you know you can't escape! I know it since Iffy gives it to me all the time!"

"One, phrasing Nep! and Two: I only do that when Histoire needs me to keep you in the Basilicom so you can do your work!"

Compa wisely chose not to comment about IF's choice of words there, same with the others.

* * *

 **During the time he was unconscious, IF had grilled the two girls for details about Neptune's HDD, learning of the encounter they had with a single Banshee. She had been stunned that Neptune almost lost to one, as that transformation looked pretty badass and powerful when she first saw it. However, as she thought about it, with the fact that Neptune apparently was an amnesiac, it made sense if this was the first time she transformed without any memories of it. Also it seemed to her that she had awakened the ability through a life or death situation, something used in a variety of anime and manga. When in danger, humans tend to exhibit increased power levels as a basic fight of flight response.**

 **This just seemed like an extreme version of that.**

 **Neptune and Compa both perked up at this. Both had their own opinions about that kind of power, as it had left a profound impact on them. "Yeah, it was like my transformation, but darker… and scarier." The former said, trembling slightly while holding herself as memories of the form Nico took filled her mind. When she felt that power for the first time, she felt like she was facing a final boss of an epic-level difficulty game, with only beginner's gear and little health remaining. In essence, she had never felt like a cornered animal until that power literally filled her senses with its being. While her powers felt calm, warm and sorta fuzzy inside, Nico's power felt raw, primal, animalistic and bloodthirsty, like a psychopath on steroids. Scary as all hell.**

 **Compa didn't say anything, but her face, plus the way she gripped her knees with her shaking hands, said it all.**

 **Seeing their looks almost made him not want to tell them for fear of scaring them all. But his pride as a truthful Spec Ops Agent, no his pride as a male, would not allow that. Thus, he began the tale, explaining his experience in Limbo and then what Histoire told him just now in his dreams. At the end, Nico finished and gauged their reactions to the unveiling of his DPU Powers.**

 **Neptune was stunned, too much so that she didn't have any comments which was unlike her. Then again, when one realises that their companion has a power that is the exact opposite of your own, it's hard to form a response that doesn't involve swords and hurtful words. Compa looked scared senseless, scared FOR him not OF him. She seemed to be focusing on the fact that if he doesn't control it his power will end up devouring him like a cannibal. The imagery would haunt her for days to come, he figured. And IF? IF was looking… surprisingly neutral about all this, she didn't seem too okay about it, but not too disturbed either. "Your taking this particularly well." He remarked to her.**

 **IF shrugged her shoulders, a nonchalant expression on her face as she crossed one leg over the other. "Yeah well, with what I've seen today, plus the day I've had, I doubt much will scare me in the future. Maybe if we encounter any demons or something along those lines, but I won't hold my breath."**

* * *

Everyone looked at IF, who shrunk back under her seat.

"You MAY have jinxed us there, If/Iffy."

* * *

 **The male DPU nodded, thus they began prepping to go outside. If Nico was going to train them, he would train them hard, just so that they had the strength to fight against Abnormals and he wasn't around. He planned on training them for at least a week, for by then they will have had tremendous upgrades in stamina and combat capabilities. In fact, since he had already fought with them several times, Nico had a good idea of how to make them better, but those will have to wait till they were outside.**

 **As they got ready to move out, Neptune went over to the brunette and asked her a question. "Hey Iffy? Wanna come with me, Nicky and Compa to look for the Key Fragments?" before the Guild Agent could respond, Neptune continued while the other two got their gear together, Nico taking slightly longer thanks to him having more gear than Compa. "We can have fun together, and it'll be safer, too!"**

 **'Pretty sure that Nico will be strength enough for safety, Nep…' IF thought to herself. Even without his armour, Nico was a formidable opponent you did NOT want to meet on the battlefield. Looking at the girl though, IF decided to not say her thoughts and shrug her shoulders. "Sure, why not?" she replied, getting out of her seat. She'd taken the only other seat since Nico had taken the other one during their chat.**

 **"Really? Yay!" Neptune cheered as she went and did a happy dance. She was humming a tune to herself as well, glad that she had another party member.**

 **Compa meanwhile, went and took the role of the mature one and asked if it was alright with the brunette. "Are you sure, Iffy?" while asking this, Compa deposited her Syringe into her Inventory and made sure her armour Module was in place. She got the feeling that she would be needing it a LOT for the battles ahead, so she wanted it to be on her at all times, as well as making it a habit to keep it on her person so it could form her Armour at any time.**

* * *

A massive smile formed on Compa's face, memories of the time it had been her, IF and Neptune joining together on their quest to recover the key fragments returning to her mind. "Looks like Iffy's joined the party at last everyone! Bit different from what we recall, but hey its something to remember."

Said people smiled, also remembering those times. Oh, how much had happened since then...

* * *

 **The Guild Agent nodded to her, a lopsided smirk forming on her lips. "Not like I have an Agenda, so I might as well tag along for the ride." She replied, as she noticed Neptune nearly fall over during her dance, for Nico to swiftly catch her in his arms and make it look like he was dipping her, much to her embarrassment and Compa's sudden jealousy. A small sweat drop formed on her features while she saw this. "I'm not so sure leaving you two alone with Nico there is a good idea anyways…"**

* * *

 **Nico Guided them out of the city, and spent about an hour walking to a desolated field-like area. Planeptune was well known for its vast fields and lush wilderness, though it paled in comparison to the land of Green Pastures known as Leanbox. The name of said Nation said it all, but in case people don't get the memo, green pastures indicates the nature there is pure, something that Leanbox definitely proves.**

 **Once they were at the field he wanted, Nico stopped moving as he stood at the centre, turning to face the girls. "Alright, we'll train here." he told them, raising his right Bracer and activating its Motion Tracker. There was nothing around them, making a smirk form on his lips. "Looks like we won't be getting some passer-byes eyes, perfect."**

* * *

"Ummmm… me Nep-Nep thinks we're in danger..."

"Your not the only one, Neptune."

"#GASP# We're on the same wavelength, Noire! Lets do some me and you shipping stuff for the fanboys and the ship wars!"

"No, Neptune! We don't want to cause a fan war in the reviews section! Vert, help out here!"

"Alright then, for the sake of peace, Neptune how about you have more of that 'Quiet Pudding'?"

"Okie dokie!"

* * *

 **A collective shiver fell down their spines, and for some reason, looking at the male Spec Ops Agent made the feeling all the more noticeable. "Uhhhh, is it just me, or does this Nep feel a sharp sense of danger coming?" she questioned the others. Compa and IF looked towards her, their expressions speaking volumes about how they felt right now. A sweat drop formed on her head as Neptune made a strained smile, chuckling in a manner that matched her expression. "Oh, good, its not just me then..."**

 **"Alright, our first lesson's going to be simple sparring." Nico began, ignoring their previous conversation as he used his Bracers to set a time limit. "The time limit is 5 minutes. Try to hold out until then." he told them, his mouth slowly forming a small smile. It was harmless, just an innocent smile, yet that smile sent shivers of terror down their spines. Why did a smile so small, so cheery, scare them so? Was it how his eyes seemed to darken behind his hair, or how he was right now getting ready to attack them with his bare hands? None of them knew, but what they DID know, was that they were about to be fighting for their lives.**

 **The next thing they know, Nico had dashed towards them, jumping into an aerial spin kick to Neptune's head. By reflex, she managed to summon her Murasama, draw it from its sheath, and block in time, but the impact sent her sliding backwards. "You need to widen your stance, bend our legs upon impact Neptune! That way you can divert some of the impact from your body!" he instructed her while running towards Compa. While she was a Nurse-In-Training, and his childhood friend, Nico would NOT let those feelings distract him from teaching them valuable combat skills.**

 **Compa eeped as she closed her eyes and raised her Syringe to swing at him, however Nico sidestepped at the last second grabbing her by the shoulder while placing a foot behind both of hers. With a push, he knocked her off balance and onto the ground. "Your opponent may not be a monster, Compa, but do not close your eyes during a battle, that's just begging your enemy to give you a harsh beat down." Nico chastised her, although he seemed more tolerant of her than he was with Neptune. Likely because he knew she had little combat skill and experience due to her dream of being a Nurse. As a result, she was expected to work in hospitals and not on the front lines, like she would if she travelled with them.**

 **His instincts told him to duck and he did, avoiding a Qatar swing to the back of his head before Nico thrusted his right arm backwards, elbowing IF in the gut to make her bend over, before grabbing her by the neck with the same arm and used her momentum against her, throwing her over his shoulder. Before she could hit the ground however, Nico dashed forth and launched a vicious straight kick, hitting her in the abdomen exactly where he had elbowed her earlier, getting a gasp of saliva from her.**

 **While she slid away from him, Nico heard the sound of an Armour Module being activated, suppressing a pang of sadness as he turned and tilted his body to avoid a diagonal slash, coming from an Armoured Neptune who had chosen to use her Armblades instead of Murasama. The male smirked as he constantly dodged her slashes, much to Neptune's frustration, before he found an opening and exploited it, gripping her arm with one hand, her shoulder with another, before delivering a savage head-butt, making her gasp behind her helmet. The force used on that attack had been enough to damage her even with her armour on! What the Nep?! "Always make sure to use every piece of your body to your advantage! Make unpredictability your best friend, because she will be on that battlefield, goddamnit!"**

 **Gripping Neptune tightly, Nico spotted IF trying to activate a Skill. His smirk only widened as he spun around, taking Neptune along for the ride. he ignored the cry she gave as he threw her into IF's line of sight, her body colliding with hers and knocking them out. "Skills are powerful, yes, but some have longer time delays than others! Your DEMON FLAMES is one such Skill, IF! Do you think Abnormals will just WAIT for you to charge them up? Huh? What happened during your first attempts at fighting Banshees?"**

 **"Ugh... my head, feels like I go kicked by a horse..." Neptune moaned painfully, the three girls barely getting up at all from the rough pounding that Nico gave them, their legs sore from the experience. That sounded weird, but none of them focused on that for the time being. Neptune looked around for Nico, only to find that he was gone. "Eh?! Where's that meanie go?!"**

 **"Right here!"**

 **The universal 'never look up' had happened until the last second, where the girls all dove out the way of Nico, who came down from above with an overhead kick. When he struck, the land below him broke from the impact, showing how much force that he had put into the blow. If any of them had stayed around and let that hit them, the damage would have been extreme, even for Neptune. The guy wasn't pulling punches, and this was only the first lesson!**

 **Obviously, this didn't sit well with them.**

* * *

"Whoa, what the Nep?! We're getting absolutely bollucked there!"

"Looks like Nico won't be an easy instructor, even on his comrades... good, that just goes to show how mch he takes their training seriously."

"... Vert, when was the last time you were around Saide, by chance?"

"A week or two, why?"

"..."

* * *

 **"Nepu, what gives, buster?! Its only the first lesson, hold back a little, why don't ya?" Neptune cried out in annoyance, raising her Armblades. From her previous experience she figured letting her guard down for a single second was probably the worst mistake she could ever make right now. His hits stung, and it didn't look like he was showing any mercy towards his 'students'.**

 **Turning towards them, Nico got into a fighting stance as he gave them a cold glare, one that rivalled stones with how little emotion they could see from him. "Do you think an enemy might show you mercy? I don't think so, remember that woman? She literally wiped the floor with your asses, leaving me to fight her myself. In fact, I think you're lucky. Do you know what my instructor did to me?" he questioned, continuing before they could even think a response. "She took me to a couple hundred feet tall cliff and threw me off it, telling me to climb back up. I did, and she repeated her actions... for 6 whole weeks. She would maker me balance myself on a thin spike while bending about to dodge projectiles she'd throw at me from afar, while drinking coca cola. She would leave me stranded in Abnormal infested areas to force me to adapt to survive, giving me nothing but the clothes on my back and any warnings she bothered to give... which were NONE! There's so much more she did, but I'm not going to scar your little minds. So tell me, who do you think got the blunt end of the stick there?"**

 **His words shocked them into silence, their faces once again losing colour as they pondered Nico's insane training regimen. This instructor of his sounded worse than Nico was being to them, alright, way worse. They all thanked every deity in existence that Nico was not doing most of those things that his instructor had done to him, that sounded like freaking torture! Compared to his training, theirs felt like a cakewalk in comparison.**

 **"Now then, we've literally got all day here, so lets get the warm-up out of the way, shall we?!"**

 **"THIS IS A WARM-UP?!"**

* * *

"Ooooh… I can feel the injuries my other will be inflicted with... That meanie Nicky, he needs to learn how to better treat a lady as fine as mwah."

"Um, YOU a lady? Pfft!"

"Noireeeeee!"

"I have to agree with Noire, Neptune. You act less like a lady and more like a little kid trying to act tough in front of your peers."

"Agreed, Lady Vert."

"Yessy, Nep-Nep."

"Oh come on! Is it pick on Nep-Nep day or something?! Is it a special day I'm not aware of?!"

* * *

 **The week passed, and by the time the end came, the girls were all cursing the male's name, albeit in their minds as they recovered from the brutal training he gave them. Not only did he force many combat techniques into their minds, but he thoroughly crushed and obliterated any shred of pride in their own strength the held without mercy. It was like being trained by demons from the depths of hell itself, with how he brutally and bluntly told them what they did wrong and hammered his points into their skulls in the most literal sense possible. He was more like a drill sergeant from hell than a person, something that filled them with dread whenever their training was about to begin.**

 **Their sole respite would be the breaks for the 3 meals a day, he wasn't that cruel. Hell, during those breaks Nico would buy them large portions of food and tenderly heal them of their wounds, taking it upon himself since Compa was being trained just as much as the others were. While he was indeed brutal and strict in his teachings, Nico did at least do them some favours and take some precautions in return, like buy Neptune a whole load of Pudding for her troubles, make sure their injuries were treated himself so Compa didn't have to worry about expelling her Healing Skills, as well as make sure to never touch IF's Phones, telling her to place them in her Inventory so they wouldn't be destroyed accidentally.**

 **Also, they couldn't really complain about their instructor from hell since his methods did indeed produce results. While IF and Neptune had more affinity for close combat than Compa did, they nonetheless had now become somewhat decent in it, enough so that if they were indeed weaponless, they wouldn't have nothing to defend themselves with. They also learned how to create openings with their Skills, mixing them in with normal attacks to minimise the chances of the enemy reacting in time.**

 **They each gained their own improvements too. Neptune for example, learned to use Murasama better, her skill almost rivalling that of her HDD form. The fact that her weapon and Skills were affected by her transformation interested her teacher, but he told her to refrain from using it for now as he had seen her HDD form's skills for himself, judging that she needed to have her human form's power be upgraded first. She once commented how this was feeling like a Shounen fanfiction with all the training that they would be doing, only for Nico to roll his eyes and ignore her. She also learned how to utilize her Skills with her Armour's Armblades, apparently they would do much more damage than with a single blade, with way more chances to hit as well. Nico should know, he counted them as he dodged them with nothing but instincts guiding him.**

 **Compa learned to shoot more accurately with her Armcannons, using their Plasma Needles to enhance her strikes in close combat. She didn't have a lot of power, thanks to the prior established fact of her lack of experience, but she managed to compensate with her Armour's Plasma Needles. Her Syringe was large, but also slow in firing, so it wasn't ideal when facing groups of fast monsters, or even single fast monsters, which made her Armcannons much more useful. Mentally, Nico had noted to find some way to get her a weapon upgrade, as he didn't have any Syringes to give her.**

 **As for IF, she already had close combat down, due to her Mercenary background giving her plenty of experiences where she had lost her weapons. She had quickly adapted to his ruthless fighting style to form counter attacks, even though none of them actually hit him thanks to his honed instincts. She learned that using her Skills alone wasn't enough like it would be with everyday Monsters, as well as figured out how to cast them quicker, much to Nico's joy. He didn't show it, but he was overcome with pride for how they progressed in such a short time-frame. They may still have a long way to go, but for now they were strong enough to fight Abnormals on their own IF NEED BE. Needed to stress that, he did.**

 **All in all, the training was a major boost in their strength. They could see why Nico told them he would be training them.**

* * *

"Kind of reminds me of combat training as a Mercenary, watching all this."

"Was it that bad, Iffy?"

"Well, my instructor back then was quite strict sure, Compa. But she was a fair one back then, heard she retired to start her own orphanage after the whole ASIC Incident."

"Huh..."

* * *

 **Finally the day was here, the day they would leave for their next destination: the nation known as the Land of Black Regality: Lastation.**

 **Nico stood in the living room, looking down at his right Bracer which was raised to his chin level. Several screens were floating above it, each one presenting different statistics and calculations that only he understood. The male was frowning, his eyes troubled as he struggled to come to grips with his recent 'handicap'. He loved his Armour, it had helped him through more scrapes than he'd care to mention. Hell, he practically had a hand in its development, so in a way it was his baby. So, to realise that it was gone, at least for a while, was a huge blow to him.**

 **'Mark my words, I will bring you back, my dear...' he thought to himself, growling under his breath that sounded strangely more like an animal. It was as if his fury was mixing with his bloodlust, creating a dark sensation that surpassed both of them, like hybrid vigor. 'I swear to you, I'll find that woman... I'll make her pay, then I'll...'**

 **"Um, Ni-Ni?"**

 **"Whoa, ho jesus!" Nico shrieked, almost feeling his heart leap out of his chest. he took a few calming breaths, with a hand on his chest to help calm his pounding heart, before looking to the cause. It was Compa, standing behind him with Neptune and IF close behind her. "Oh, its you girls... you all ready to go?" he asked them with a small smile, one that hid just how surprised they caught him. He didn't know why, but part of him wondered if that was intentional or not.**

 **His childhood friend nodded happily, a hand over her chest as she opened her eyes to look at him. "Yessy! we're all ready and willing!" she cheered, making Neptune frown at her however.**

* * *

"Heeeeeeeey, what's the deal, Compa? Why's the other you steaming mwah lines? I call copyright claiming! Fraud! Cheater belly eater!"

"Pretty sure since this is fanfiction the rules are different, Nep-Nep... plus, I remember seeing a disclaimer in the previous chapters, so its all good."

"Oh, darn..."

* * *

 **"Heeeey, Compa, you stole my lines from the original rebirth 1!" she whined, flailing her arms about. The sight made everyone chuckle, save for IF who hid hers while rolling her eyes, until Neptune continued onwards. "Hey uh, Nico, before we go, can I ask ya a question? What's a Spec Ops Agent?"**

 **The male, who had just made to close the last screen his Bracer displayed, stopped just before he could close it, like it was all a second away. His eyes wide with surprise, the teen turned his head to look at her, before remembering that Neptune hadn't really gotten an explanation about Spec Ops Agents. 'I thought she'd have gone all meta on us and read it in a previous chapter, or whatever.' he thought to himself, before deciding to answer. "A Spec Ops Agent is an elite section of the Guild. While mercenary-like in nature, the Spec ops are like the soldier-mercenary mixes, their love child you could say. We're the soldiers that fight the battles that normal adventurers never could. We are people who fight for our own selves, nobody else's." he explained, mentally adding in his mind. 'Not even the CPUs...'**

* * *

"Hey, there's a reference in there..."

"Really, Nep? That's what you bring out of that situation? Not even the whole explanation about Spec Ops religion?"

"This is a fun fanfic Iffy, no time for all that religion milarky…"

"If your people heard you say that, Neptune, I believe not even me or Nepgear would be able to stop the drop in shares in time."

"Oh Histy, you worry too much, it won't be that bad..."

"..."

* * *

 **"Wooow... that sounds so dark and gritty..." Neptune mused while everyone else had already left the house and was waiting for them outside. "That must be a tough job, I guess. I mean, they take on so many mean monsters, meaner than normal ones, anyways, all for the same rewards Guild gents get?"**

 **Nico shook his head as he turned fully to face her, his eyes stern as his gaze bore into her own. "There's a saying we Spec Ops Agents follow, down to our cores: 'There are things you can't fight. Acts of the Goddesses. If you see a hurricane coming, you have to get out of the way. But when you're a Spec Ops Agent, suddenly, you can fight the Hurricane. You can win.'"**

* * *

#Insert Neptune making rapping noises about referenced movie#

* * *

 **Neptune gaped, her mouth hanging open as she absorbed the deep saying that he just told her. Her protagonist instincts told her that was a reference to something that was considered extremely badass, but she chose not to comment in a meta way. It just didn't seem to do that quote justice, so instead, she went with pure honesty. "Whoaaaaa... that sounds super awesomely cool." she whispered, then shouted the end in excitement.**

 **"Yup, and it's true. I once fought an Abnormal in the midst's of a massive storm. Didn't even get bothered by the weather thanks to my armour." Nico explained, puffing his chest in pride as he remembered that memory. While a pang of pain exploded within at the reminded of his loss, Nico didn't let it distract him as he turned on his heels and began walking towards the door leading to the outside. "Anyways, let's go. We can't keep the others waiting, can we?"**

 **"Nope, lets' go, yo!"**

* * *

 **After leaving Compa's house, Neptune and the party ventured out to Planeptune, intending to get to the Planeptower, where they would be able to use the Sky Harbour. The Sky Harbour was the only means of getting between the nations of Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox from Planeptune. However, there was one small detail that became VERY apparent shortly into their little trip…**

 **They got lost.**

* * *

"Huh, just like that other time. I remember you telling me about this, how you'd been experiencing technical difficulties at the time. Am I right, Iffy?"

"Lady Veeeeerrrrrrrt!"

* * *

 **"Um, Neptune, you sure this is the right way?" Nico asked while sweat dropping. They had been wandering the streets for what felt like hours, and still they were no closer to finding the Planeptower. He would have tried to find the right path but Neptune had not given him the chance, just literally pulled him by the sleeve of his Trench Coat out the door with Compa and IF following suit.**

 **Made for a fun ride, that's for sure.**

 **Neptune waved him off dismissively. "Pft, of course I'm sure, Nicky. I'm all but certain that it's this way!" Nico looked to where she was pointing, then recalled the trip they had made thus far and face-palmed, it was the same direction they had been taking the last 5 times, meaning they'd been walking in circles.**

 **"I think we've been walking in circles." Compa stated bluntly with a weak smile and a sweat drop on her forehead. She looked to be slightly winded from all the walking, but not too much. After all, she had been fighting for the last couple days, so her body should only naturally be in the beginnings of increasing its endurance and stamina.**

 **They all looked to IF, who was still pressing buttons on her phone. When she noticed their gazes, she looked up at them and looked at them incredulously, "… you serious? We haven't gotten there yet? I've just been following you, I've just stayed in Planeptune, never did venture outside much. And even if I did, I wouldn't be able to remember how." She explained, before she looked towards Nico with a raised brow. "what about you, Nico? Surely the Guild sometimes lent you and other Agents to the other Nations."**

 **"True, they did." Nico nodded in admission, crossing his arms. "I was lent a lot to other nations, but sadly it's not the same way everyone else does it. we're usually para dropped from an aerial transport right where we need to be, with everything explained to us along the way. So, I'm unaware of how civilians and Guild Agents nation hop. I would have used my Bracers to find out, but…" he held up his Bracers, and true enough they seemed to be busy downloading something. There was an ellipsis in the middle of their screens with a bar above and the word 'Downloading', the bar slowly being filled. "They're downloading information now, info about the layout of the other nations to be exact, plus their dungeons and bestiaries. It's taking all their processing power, so I'm a dud."**

* * *

"... That's some smooth shit, right there."

"Whoa! Blanny just talked! The first time this whole chapter! She must REALLY be into it, then!"

"Agreed, Nep. Histoire, what do you think?"

"I think we should be quiet lest Blanc snaps and goes Gallagher on your heads."

* * *

 **Seeing that even he was useless, despite how much it pained him, IF gave a groan as she sighed in defeat. "Alright, lemme check…" she began before beginning to use her phone. As time passed though, her expression turned more and more irritated by the second, until she snarled through gritted her teeth. "C'mon, work you piece of crap!" eventually she gave in, sighing loudly as she pocketed her phone with a grumpy look on her face. She then looked at them all apologetically while pocketing her phone, "Sorry guys, my phone's internet connection fuzzed out. Looks like we'll have to ask around." She admitted reluctantly.**

 **The Spec Ops Agent sighed in reluctance as well, this was a setback to their plans. if anything, he had learned that unexpected things happened and thus they had to just deal with it. "Although I don't want to, I'll have to agree with you there. Let's look around see if we can find someone. Someone who looks trustworthy, we don't want to run into any criminals. #shudder# not making that mistake again…" the male shuddered when he remembered his days as a Rookie in the Guild, when he too got lost and couldn't do much but ask someone. Turned out he had run into a couple thugs so he had to beat them up, which wasn't easy back then, and turn them in. He'd met another Agent by chance and they told him where to go.**

 **"Hmm? How about her?" Neptune asked as she pointed to someone, a female it looked like, in the distance, sitting by a bench minding her own business. the female turned out to be a small young girl, sitting next to some… weird ball thing with feline features, Nico noticed. She was a light brunette, with dusty yellow-brown eyes, her hair long enough to reach down her entire body, wrapped into two large pigtails, held together by small yellow bells. She wore some sort of school uniform, which surprised Nico since he didn't expect schools for young children to be open right now. It consisted of a white top, a red bow, a green skirt, and black flats with green socks. What REALLY intrigued him were her cat ears and tail.**

* * *

"Oh-Oh-Oh! Look guys, its Puchiko!"

"... Nep-Nep, why do you call Broc-Broc that name? You know she finds it annoying..."

"Cause its cuter than her real name."

"... That's mean, Nep-Nep..."

"Nepu?!"

* * *

 **Nico evaluated her in his mind, calculating and processing the pros and cons, leading to a tension in the air… before shrugging his shoulders and dispersing it with a "She seems legit." Without a care in the world. Turning to the others, Nico noticed their dumbfounded expressions, and tilted his head curiously. "What? Do you know what gender commits the most crimes?" he asked before pointing to himself. They soon got his meaning. "Asking a girl is safer than a guy, trust me. I may be a bit sexist there…" he muttered the last part under his breath, so nobody heard. But the girls all thought it, though they didn't comment on it.**

 **Moving forwards before people sue for sexism...**

 **And so, Neptune was the one who went to ask for directions, although the others did protest but Nico shot them down by saying it was Neptune who saw her first, and since she wasn't all that threatening it would be easier to get the info they needed. They couldn't argue with that, and silenced their protests before watching her leave.**

 **Over at the bench, the girl was leaning back with her hands on the bench, eyes closed and basking in the sunlight that showered her body. "It's a nice and warm day again, Nyu…" she muttered in satisfaction. Her little… ball thing meowed in agreement with its mistress's words, adopting the mannerisms most cats have when basking in the sun. "A nice cup of bitter hot tea would hit the spot, Nyu."**

 **Her ears picked up footsteps and a shadow loomed over her, making the girl open her eyes to see Neptune standing there with a nervous yet polite expression on her face. "Hello…" the girl greeted awkwardly, before rushing to continue her question before the greeting could be responded to, "Can I ask you something?"**

 **"What Nyu?" the girl replied with a question of her own as she sat up straight, keeping her head turned to face the new person who had walked up to her and disturbed her sun-bathing… with clothes on. "Is there something you want with Broccoli, Nyu?"**

 **The moment that the girl heard the name of the small, er, smaller girl, her previous anxiety was dispersed into the winds as a pair of stars replaced her eyes as she ogled the younger girl. "Oh, your name is Broccoli? That's so cute that I wanna call you "Puchiko"!" she gushed like a typical fangirl when she was in the presence of, or talking about, her crush.**

 **It seemed that the other girl, Broccoli or 'Puchiko' as she had been called, didn't like the second name and made to correct her with a face that seemed derisive. "It's not "Puchiko" its "Broccoli" Nyu." She stated in defence of her name.**

 **Unfortunately, Neptune didn't seem to care about that right now, as she simply waved it off dismissively, "Let's not split pears, okay?" she responded, showing Broccoli that despite her attempts, anything she tried to do to stop her from calling her Puchiko was useless.**

 **Thus, she gave a blunt statement that hit like a tongue of bricks. "You're terrible at listening, Nyu."**

* * *

"Truer words have never been spoken, Mrs Broccoli."

"Whoa! Low blow there, Histy!"

"Am I wrong? I have LOADS of ammunition to counter any argument you have, you know."

"Of course I do, your a tome so that's to be expected."

"..."

* * *

 **The insult and the statement it was in went in one ear of the head of Neptune and out the other, completely harmless, much to the brunette's chagrin. "Anyway, I wanna ask you, Puchiko, how do I get to Planeptower? I'm supposed to go there, but, um, I don't know where it is…" she ended, some of her nervousness revealing itself once again although she did a very good job at hiding it.**

 **Deciding not to bother with the Puchiko comment and respond to the girl's question, Broccoli smiled and pointed down the direction of a street that Neptune had never noticed before. Unlike most of the streets, this one seemed to be increasingly busy, busier than the ones that she and the others had travelled on. "Well, Nyu. Just head down there and you'll see a sign for it, Nyu."**

 **Now that she had a better idea of where to go, Neptune's happiness meter skyrocketed as she pumped a fist. "Sweet!" she exclaimed happily, before quickly turning and making to leave. "Thank you! I've gotta run now, bye-bye!" she yelled, looking behind her at the small girl while waving as she retreated.**

 **Broccoli watched her leave and group with some girls and a guy. She was surprised to see a guy with a bunch of cute girls, but soon got over it. If they were comfortable with him then it was okay, plus it wasn't any of her business anyways. The way he looked and how he moved though, intrigued her. It looked like he was some sort of soldier or a Mercenary, or some other position that involved lots of combat, which wasn't uncommon in Gamindustri but usually they were next to useless. That guy however, seemed to be the opposite. "Who's that boy with them, I wonder… now that I think about it, Hm, I think I've met her before, Nyu… let me think for a bit, Nyu."**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **For a moment, her face was redder than cherries as steam rolled off her head. random civilians walked by and gave her curious and slightly concerned stares, whispering things like 'where's that girl's parents?' or 'Is she sick? she should be at home, resting' although these comments were nevertheless ignored in the grand scheme of things. One child even asked his mother who that girl was, only for the parent to hurriedly usher the child away while telling him to ignore the crazy people.**

 **A gasp tore from her small mouth as her eyes shot open wide in recognition, the redness and seam vanishing instanty. That purple hair, that hoodie dress, that annoying nickname she gave her upon seeing her, it all made sense. Only one person could have those traits. "Oh, that's right! that was Nep, Nyu!"**

 **After getting the directions from that bystander that Neptune said was 'Puchiko', although through means he would not say Nico knew her name was Broccoli and that Puchiko was a nickname she didn't like that Neptune had forced onto her, the group of four found themselves where they needed to be.**

 **The city had disappeared behind them and they were left in front of a large building. The area behind the building was a white-yellow gate with a fence spreading to both sides. Behind that was nothing but air, air and clouds that is. 'So, this is what the civilians use to travel between nations, huh?' Nico mused as he cupped his chin and thought to himself. 'Judging from what I'm seeing, the building here is for those who want to pass it, there must be people inside who specialise in travel like a travel agency. Although how they actually get across is still a mystery…'**

 **Unaware of the sole male party member's thoughts, Neptune looked around and got herself lost in her own little world. "The ground. its split open!" she exclaimed, pointing to the edge of the Landmass behind the gate and fence with awe in her eyes. She then turned to where the others were, her eyes filled with childish glee. "This must be where the Ancient battle must have ensued! A battle where a Goddess and an Evil God seal each other with their weapons!"**

 **'Pretty sure that's a reference there, Neptune…' Nico thought, holding a hand over his face, but NOT face-palming. She may be random, but he was slowly getting used to it. He surprised himself with how easily he had grown fond of the preteen, her innocent outlook on life plus her quirky personality seemed to just suck people in, even if they were the scum of the earth.**

* * *

"Yup, that's me! The power of the Neps!"

Nobody said anything about that, just opting to continue watching."

* * *

 **Meanwhile, IF grew frustrated, if the groan she let out at Neptune's antics was any consideration as she looked over to Compa. "What is she talking about?" she asked/whined. It was like she was having a mental breakdown from trying to understand the gibberish that came out of the preteen's mouth.**

 **Their resident Nurse-In-Training gave a weak smile as she tried to support the Guild Agent, "Nep-Nep says a lot of random things, but you'll get used to it." she said in a comforting manner. unbeknownst to the others, Nico was desperately holding back a snort, Neptune did say random things, but because of his experiences with another fourth wall breaker he knew they were references to different forms of media. Though, he was still getting used to her randomness, and he had known her longer.**

 **"If you say so…" IF reluctantly adhered to Compa's explanation, but had to make a comment of her own about the purple haired amnesiac. "But still, for losing her memory, Nep sure knows a lot…"**

 **All Compa could do was laugh weakly. At that moment, the awkward atmosphere was shattered when Neptune called out, "Oi, Iffy, Compa! The view from up here is awesome!" Nico looked to her when she said that last bit and when he noticed where she was, well… if he had been drinking something he would have spat it out from the shock he was in. "Oh wait, are you scared?"**

 **"Neptune what the hell are you doing up there?!" Indeed, Neptune appeared to have somehow gotten on top of the Gate itself and was using it as a lookout post. She was close to the edge, dangerously so, and without his armour Nico feared he wouldn't be able to catch her if she fell. Neptune looked over to him with a head tilt, confused on why he was yelling so much. "Why you yelling, Nicky? Wait, could you want to join me? Come on then, the view's great!" she cheered, beckoning to a space beside her that looked terribly unstable for someone to sit on it.**

 **Before the male could respond to that, Compa decided to inform them of what this place was, Neptune because of her amnesia, and Nico because he used another form of transportation, usually. "Nep-Nep, Ni-Ni, this is a "Sky Harbour". Its where we go to get to the other lands. The lands aren't connected, so we need to go through here." She explained pointing at the Gate.**

 **'She didn't say HOW we get across, maybe I should- oh wait, looks like Neptune's about to speak.' Nico thought, before glancing at their party leader to see she was about to open her mouth. "Uh, how do you get across?" she asked unknowingly voicing the male's thoughts to his pleasure. Then, her mind started forming ideas with a splice of her… randomness. "I know! Jump, right? like while saying "wahoo"!"**

 **Nico rolled his eyes at this but didn't say anything since IF did it instead. "Why not grow a moustache and jump then?" she spoke half-heartedly, if she knew Neptune like she did, then the preteen might actually do that, just for the LOLs. She looked to the building beside the Gate, before turning to the rest of the gang and continued in a more serious voice with sharp, blade-like eyes. "We need to go to the Basilicom. We fill papers there and once we get approval, we can go across freely."**

* * *

"Oh, my, gosh Iffy! You thought I really would?! What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

"... Do you really need me to answer that?"

"Nah, I know you love me just as much as I love Nowa!"

"Don't drag me into your spats, Neptune!"

* * *

 **This made the male raise a brow. He had to know how she knew this procedure. But he didn't even have to ask because when IF saw his face she must have figured out his intention and spoke to him, "The Basilicom is one of the highest-ranking powers in any nation, just under the Government. They control the Sky Harbours, so it's only natural we get their permission. Now stop dragging ass and head on over."**

* * *

 **The party made their way to the entrance of the Basilicom, and when Nico was about to open the door himself, Neptune suddenly pushed past him and kicked them open, yelling "HELLO-!" as she did so. The interior of the Basilicom looked like a massive hallway, with golden frames and pillars, multi coloured glass window as well as an altar at the back. There were multiple men in white and purple robes in various places, talking to each other. Though this ended for some when they heard Neptune's… entrance.**

 **Gritting his teeth, Nico bonked her on the head with a tick mark on his forehead, "you idiot, why do you have to shout like that?! This is a sacred place to many you know!" he yelled at her as he took the role of a scolding parent. The others could only sweat drop when they saw them somehow change into a chibi version of themselves, Neptune in the Japanese sitting position with crocodile tears falling down her cheeks, hands on her lap in fists and a rising bump on her head. Nico had stood over her with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowing down at her as he ranted off about manners and other stuff.**

* * *

Right now, a chibi Neptune began running around, which caused a chibi IF and a Chibi Compa to try and catch her. She evaded their attempts for up to 10 minutes, before a chibi Blanc went mad with rage and smacked her upside the head. She then dragged the unconscious girl back to the seat whilst a lump formed where the preteen had been hit, plopping her down like a discarded rucksack. Then, the viewing continued.

* * *

 **Compa could only smile weakly while sweat dropping, "Ni-Ni's acting so much like a parent to Nep-Nep…" she stated with a nervous chuckle. This reminded her of a few times in her childhood when Nico would catch her doing something she shouldn't, and would proceed to scold her afterwards. Her grandfather, in one of his moments, allowed it because Nico showed himself to be mature for his age.**

 **IF nodded, but unlike the Nurse-In-Training, she was doing better at keeping her emotions in check, although she did have some irritation on her face as she scowled at the two. "They don't realise that they're drawing attention to themselves, do they?" she remarked, watching as several staff members were looking at them weirdly. She didn't know how much more she could take of this humiliation, though.**

 **However, it was fortunate that she didn't have to find that out as soon enough one of the staff members walked up to them, unperturbed by the sight of the two. "Welcome to Planeptune's Basilicom." He greeted, which was enough to stop the two's little episode, and make them look over to the man with their forms restored… fanfiction logic. "What brings you here today?"**

 **Instead of Nico or Neptune who answered, IF did, thinking that those two had done enough for their reputation. "Could we get crossing approvals to go to Lastation?" she asked, adopting a formal posture and tone of voice, which was the norm for situations like these. Nico watched her with an impressed look on his face. While he was slightly embarrassed about losing it like that, he was glad someone had the sense to rein in their emotions like that.**

 **"All three… no, four of you to Lastation, correct?" the man asked. He had been about to say three, until he noticed the male of the group. Nico got the feeling that the man didn't like him the instant he saw him, and not just because of the fact he had started something in the Basilicom. Nods of affirmative and a "Yessy!" from Compa were their responses. The man nodded before walking to a nearby cabinet and taking out a form and pen. He walked back and handed it to them, "Very well, then. Please fill out this form and sign right over here." He told them, to which IF began the procedure. It would be a list, that was for sure.**

* * *

 **Half an hour later, the form was filled in. There was some fine print to read through, much to Neptune's dismay, but once that part was finished all they had to do was place their names on the paper and place it back in the hands of the Staff member. Once he had the form back, the man looked it over for any details missed while recounting what they saw. "So, Ms. IF, Ms. Compa, Mr. DEATHSTROKE," he nearly shit his pants when he realised who that was, much to Nico's amusement. He wouldn't look down on him anymore, that's for sure. Was the difference between his human and armoured form really that great? "and Ms. Neptunia, correct?"**

 **'Oh Goddess… another person who can't pronounce Neptune's name…' the male Spec Ops Agent thought in dismay. Hand? Meet Palm. It's nice to meet you, shall we meet often? At this rate, he was sure his hand would have an imprint on his face and he'd have to wear his Armour, once he got it back, forever to hide it.**

 **It seemed that he was not the only one annoyed though, as Neptune looked at him with said emotion as she put her hands on her hips with her legs spread apart, an angered expression on her face. "Hey mister, my name is "Neptune" not "Neptunia."" She spoke, correcting him for the mistaken terminology. Although, that was the name of the Franchise, so...**

 **The man blinked for a moment, before realising his error. He sweated lightly, a light blush of embarrassment crossing onto his features at what he had done. He then tried to apologise to the affronted amnesiac. "Oh, my bad. How awful of me, mistaking such a loli-cute girl like you…"**

* * *

"Eek! Stranger danger! Nicky, protect my little Nep-bod from the pedo!"

"NEPTUNE IF YOU DON'T SHUT YER HOLE...!"

A trembling Neptune cowered before Blanc's red eyed rage.

* * *

 **'Uhhhhhh… am I supposed to raise the 'stranger danger' flag? Because he looks like someone you don't want to meet in the night with that face…' Nico thought, feeling a sense of disturbance in the way that man looked to Neptune. His eyes swiftly gazed over her form before focusing back to her eyes, his smile carrying a touch of something he would rather Neptune NEVER be exposed to. 'Back… away from him… slowly, Neptune.'**

 **Composing himself when he saw the glares from both Nico and IF, the staff member cleared his throat awkwardly, though the preteen and Compa were the only ones who didn't notice, before looking down at the form in his hand. "Let's see now…" he began, skimming down to the bottom before finding Neptune's name and attempting to correct his earlier mistake. "Neptuune… Neptyu…toon…"**

 **It was clear though that he was failing miserably, and it was leaving Neptune in down spirits. "Ah… is my name really that hard to say?" Neptune asked with a pouting face, which made her look even more adorable in the older man's eyes.**

 **Though it took one glance towards Nico, whose eyes the man swore looked like skull sized flames for a moment, to make him snap back to attention. An ashamed look crossed onto the Basilicom Staff member's face as he tried to smile comfortingly at her. "Oh, no, no! Not at all! I'm just having a bad day, that's all." He tried to say, only for it to make the situation worse when the petite amnesiac looked even more depressed. Well, it wasn't a good comeback, anyways.**

 **While the Basilicom staff member left to get the forms through the right processes, IF shook her head at the man's inability to say such a simple name. 'Seriously, Nico can say it, so he's alright, but this guy? C'mon, seriously…' she thought to herself with a mental groan. She then perked up before turning her head to Compa. "By the way, Compa? Can you say "Neptune"?" she asked her hopefully, anything to get Neptune out of her funk.**

 **Unfortunately, Compa also formed an apologetic smile on her face as she remembered their first meeting and her inability to say Neptune's name right after she introduced herself. "Well, I couldn't, so that's why I say "Nep-Nep"" she explained, giving her a short version of their first meeting.**

 **"Then can you say, "Planeptune"?"**

 **Now Compa took on a confused face, simply uttering the word "Planeptune?" as IF had just done.**

* * *

IF sighed as she leaned back in a lamenting fashion. "Get used to it other me, cause there'll be a whole load more bullshit coming your way..."

All the while, everyone began to wonder why IF looked like one of those actors in a tragic love drama with a light shining down on her.

* * *

 **This earned a groan from the Guild Agent, she couldn't believe this. "I don't understand why you can't say "Neptune" when you can say "Planeptune."" She remarked, before getting a hand on her shoulder from behind. She felt it and immediately realised who it was, her saving grace. Turning her head, IF saw Nico with a shake of the head, telling her to let it go as one of those mysteries that may never be solved. Sounded like a plan, so let's do it!**

 **Once she nodded to him, Nico went to the depressed Neptune, who had taken her depression out on a seat by deflating herself vertically over it. the male then grasped her shoulder, shaking it to get her attention. Looking up at him, Neptune saw Nico give her a smile of reassurance, trying to cheer her up. "Don't worry Neptune." He said, stressing her name to further pronounce his point. "Even if nobody else can say your name, I will. I'll always call you by your real name, Neptune."**

 **Her eyes, which were depressed earlier, filled up with life at the sound of him saying her name correctly as she jumped onto him, wrapping her arms and legs around him as she tried to crush him in her embrace. "Eeeeeeek! You really know how to make a girl feel happy, Nicky, you smooth talker, you!" she squealed happily while burying his face into her chest.**

 **"Hey, get off Neptune, what are you doing?!"**

* * *

 **After a short while of Nico trying and eventually succeeding in pulling the girl off him, although he needed IF and a Jealous Compa's help, the Staff Member returned to them, no forms in his hand this time as he gave them a polite smile. "Sorry for the wait. You're all ready to go." He swiftly gave a pointed gaze towards Nico while his attention was elsewhere, before it returned to the girls. "You should be able to travel between Lastation and Planeptune freely now."**

 **"Thanks." IF said simply, though she had notice his staring at Nico. 'He's just jealous that Nico's able to travel with a bunch of girls. Perverted bastard can't hold a candle to that guy…' she thought, glancing to the male who was making sure that Neptune and the Staff Member were unable to get close to each other, though really only the latter wanted to be closer despite his professionalism. The difference between the two was clear as day, Nico was exempt from IF's usual opinion of guys, his actions and his dedication to making sure Neptune and Compa, and a few times herself, were happy and smiling, was proof enough of that.**

 **Neptune then remembered something and quickly went to ask the man just as he was about to leave them. "Oh, mister? I wanted to ask, but is the Goddess around?" she asked him.**

 **When hearing her question, the man paused mid step and turned back to them. Walking over to them once again, the man aimed a slightly smug smile at Nico for being able to spend additional time around Neptune the 'loli-cute girl' he referred to her as. He then turned his attention to Neptune and answered her question. "I think Lady Purple Heart is up in Celestia. She hasn't come back down here yet." he explained.**

 **At the mention of the name of the Planeptune Goddess, Nico's mind raced into overdrive as pieces fit into a puzzle in his mind. 'Transformation, similar name to Planeptune, HDD [Hard Drive Divinity] the opposite to my demonic DPU powers which would be divine… oh shit, could Neptune be….? I guess it's more than likely since no normal human could survive falling out of the skies…'**

 **"I see…" Neptune responded with a disappointed look in her eyes. "I thought that maybe the Goddess would be around. Shucks…" she whined, before sighing.**

 **'If you are who I think you are, Neptune… then that statement is very ironic.' Nico thought to himself trying to keep a straight face. Years of wearing armour that had a Mask helped him greatly in this, so he kept his emotions in check this time. Meanwhile, the Staff Member tried to assure the girl about their Goddess. "Well. I heard that the other CPUs have appeared to protect their lands… I hope Lady Purple Heart is all right…"**

 **Hearing this, IF frowned as a thought occurred to her. "Maybe something happened in the Console War?" she offered up a suggestion. It could happen, no matter what religious folk try to say otherwise. After all wars were unpredictable, and the Console War between the CPUs was no exception, so who knows?**

 **In a typical manner befitting of a devotee of the Planeptune Goddess, the Staff member vehemently shook his head in denial. "That can't be." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Lady Purple Heart would never lose to the other Goddesses…" he said, putting his entire being into that sentence. It was a plus that he believed in his Goddess so highly, everyone would give him that at least.**

 **"Um, hello? What's this about a Console War?"**

 **Everyone looked at Neptune incredulously, until Nico remembered that she had no memory and mentally face-palmed at his neglect to inform her of such an important event… well, at least to those in the religious department. 'Ugh, I forgot to tell her. She just seems to be so knowing with those fourth wall breakings that I got distracted. Tch, and I call myself DEATHSTROKE…' he scolded himself in his mind.**

 **Unaware of his thoughts, and not at all perturbed by the question, the Staff Member supplied the information she requested. "It's a battle that started in eons past for rulership of Gamindustri. It's said that the last standing CPU will become a God to rule Gamindustri." He explained. It seemed that he was used to answering that question, which meant he had likely said it many times to small children who had asked… Nico suddenly shuddered, hoping that man wouldn't go THAT far for his loli fetish.**

 **"So, the CPUs have been fighting for years in Celestia." IF summarized, seeing that Neptune was beginning to look confused, her childish mind not comprehending the amount of information told her about something that didn't seem to interest her. She had only asked because of small curiosity that quickly faded into nothingness when the response began.**

 **Nevertheless, even with a lack of interest, Neptune still formed a perplexed expression as she looked down in thought. "Not sure what's so great about beating each other up. Why not be friends?" she wondered, a little bit of sadness in her tone that Neptune didn't even realise she was expression, with the look on her face being any indication.**

 **Nico nodded his head and crossed his arms, "They've been fighting for hundreds of years, Neptune. For them, they likely know no other way." He explained, before his face turned to one of melancholy, "all the weakness in this world is due to lack of ability…" he muttered, a lost look in his eyes before he blinked rapidly, his focus coming back to him. "Huh? what did I just say…?" he wondered, not noticing the looks on the others faces, even the Staff Member was confused.**

* * *

Hearing those words caused Noire, Vert, IF and Blanc to narrow their eyes.

Those words sounded... ominous.

And in a fic like this one, that did NOT sound like a good thing.

* * *

 **"What Nico said was true, the first part anyways…" IF began, shaking her head to push those suspicious thoughts to the back of her mind. She'd ask him when they were alone or something. "But with how long they've fought, I guess there's no turning back. Anyway, let's get going. Off to Lastation we go."**

 **"Okay then. Well, see you again, Mr. Nice Guy!"**

 **"Thank you, and you be careful, now."**

* * *

 **With that, Neptune and the others left for Lastation, to find the second Key Fragment. After the doors closed, the Staff Member left to go pursue his own matters for the day. While walking down a corridor by himself, the man let out a perverted, and slightly creepy, smile. "That Neptune girl was so small and cute… I hope she comes back again." He remarked dreamily, before his face morphed into a jealous scowl. "Preferably without the company of that brute with her." The man then began to wonder about her, and not in the perverted way he did before. "…I'm pretty sure I've seen her before… Hmmm…"**

* * *

"Looks like the chapters done guys." IF commented as the chapter finished. She then stretched her arms upwards with a pleasurable groan escaping her lips. "Man, that was a long one."

"...Next chapter."

Vert eyed Blanc who just uttered those two simple words whilst having the gaze of a journalist making notes on an important story. She bet that Lowee's CPU was just brimming with different cringy ideas in her mind, too. "Looks like Blanc really wants to continue. Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested myself, this story's very entertaining despite the lack of BL."

"NEXT CHAPTER, NOW!"

"Whelp, the resident bookworm hath indeed spoketh!" Cmomentd the preteen as Compa al;ready switched the chapters to the next one. Neptune then grinned towards the audience, breaking the fourth wall whilst she waved. "Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, the author's been busy doing other stuff. Support this story as much as you can, and I might consider going on a date with you. Just kidding, guys, hehehehe! Anyways, look forward to the next chappie, totes, whenever it comes out!"

* * *

 **Chapter end.**

 **WHEW, a long one! Sorry for not updating for a while guys, OEG is a very demanding story with loads of lore and stuff to delve into. Heck, it even has a side story which, while not integral tot he main plot, does expand a bit on subjects I haven't in the main storuy, so if you could follow and review its chapters, that would be great. Anyways, hope you guys keep reading my content, cause its nice to see people liking what I do. Tshcihapter was a long one, so apologies if my humour's crap, its not my forte especially late at night. Still, Ive introduced the other Goddesses. Maybe you could vote in the reviews if I should branch off into a side story reading a side story when I get to chapter 148, you can never be too meta in Neptunia games after all.**

 **See ya later!**

 **Peace Out!**


	14. Chapter 14 - Reading Chapter 13

"Looks like a shorter one, guys." Compa stated when she saw the next chapter about to play. Blanc, Vert and the others all watched, eager to witness what would be happening next.

* * *

 **Chapter 13 - Lastation-Goddamnit, Neptune!**

 **'Huh? what the heck, am I tripping just now?' Nico wondered. Just before he and the others went to the Gate after leaving the Basilicom and that rather creepy man, the male had frozen, well, his body did while his mind… he didn't know. He blinked, and found himself inside some blue futuristic-looking room. It gave him the impression of a cage however, something that didn't sit well with him. He had no idea what this was, nor if it was real or not, but didn't have time to ponder because he heard footsteps. 'Oh shit, gotta hide!' the male thought, paling. One of his special mods to his armour was a Cloaking Module that gave him the ability to camouflage with his surroundings, allowing him to merge with the environment and not be seen.**

* * *

"Oh-Oh-Oh! I know this part, I know this part!" Neptune chimed excitedly, pointing at the screen. "This is that ol' boasting thimamabob that arfie did way bac when!"

"I always wondered why you didn't show that much surprise when we learned of her name..." IF remarked, remembering how n that particular adventure, Neptune hadn't shown as much surprise at learning of Arfoire's name. She knew the girl liked to break the fourth wall, and she should have suspected as such, but she had attributed to her HDD self in the end.

"That woman causes all sorts of problems, I swear..." Noire muttered whilst shaking her head in annoyance. She remembered how much of a pain in he butt that old had had been.

Blanc's eyes, the moment they caught sight of her, narrowed into that stare she gives only when she was about to let loose the berserker rage inside of her. "That bitch stole my thunder back then..." she muttered, her tone pretty much sending chills down everyone's spines.

Vert on the other hand, chuckled behind her hand. "How quaint. Now, lets continue before Blanc explodes, shall we?"

* * *

 **Without that, he didn't have a lot of options, until he noticed the ceiling and swiftly jumped upwards, flipping his body around and embedding his hands and feet into the ceiling. It was not a second too soon, for the source of the footsteps entered the room and walked to where there was a pedestal, although he couldn't see what was on top of it due to it being blurry.**

 **His eyes soon narrowed however, when he noticed the familiar witch hat on her head and the ghostly skin. 'Its… her… that woman, who nearly killed me…!' he thought, rage overtaking him. His teeth gnashed heavily, his hands gripping the makeshift grip on the ceiling tightly while veins popped over his forehead. However, he didn't move yet, despite his instincts telling him to go down there and shove Rebellion down her throat, another part of him told him to wait and see what she was doing.**

 **"It has been a while, Histoire." That part finally won him over when he heard the woman talking to the blurred space. More specifically when he heard the name in that sentence. 'Histoire? These two know each other?' Nico wondered, his anger replaced by curiosity. He wouldn't hesitate to admit that this new information intrigued him, enough to suppress his rage against the woman for a moment.**

 **Histoire, the name of the voice that had asked them for help, told him about his DPU powers, knew the woman known as Arfoire. That alone raised some serious questions about the relationship between the two, and if anything Nico was observant. Thus, he decided to wait and see what he could learn about the two of them with this encounter. Hopefully, none of them would sense his presence up here, or things would become awkward faster than Neptune devouring Pudding.**

 **His eyes widened in realisation as he remembered the other girls. It looked like he wasn't anywhere near them for now, so what the heck happened? Were they alright? Did they know where he was? Were they coming here? So many questions pounded away at his skull, almost giving him a migraine. However, he made sure to push them aside in favour of learning all he could. Information was power, something he learned early on in his days as a Guild Rookie.**

* * *

"True, so very true..." Vert commented as she remembered a few dozen Guild Raids she had partaken in which went to hell, LITERALLY due to lack of solid information. The results had been... less than favourable.

As a fellow gaming Goddess, Neptune bobbed her head up and down in an exaggerated manner, having switched to a Japanese sitting position with her hands clenched into her fists upon her lap.

Noire thought back to when, in the Ultra Dimension and her own in the anime timeline, her own security networks got hacked and nearly ruined her Nation as a result... before she shuddered at how true that statement had to be.

* * *

 **The blurred space, in which he guessed Histoire would have been if he could see her, seemed to thrum with contained energy. "Arfoire…" she said, and it was said so neutrally, meant to hide emotions from those the user is talking to. "No matter how often you come, I have no intent to help you."**

 **'So, Arfoire is her name, huh? And she has been trying to get Histoire's help before? why wouldn't she give it? Sure that woman's a bit of a psycho with a bad fashion sense…' Nico thought, grimacing. While he respected women in general, this one seemed to rub him the wrong way, especially after what she did to him and his comrades. The fact that she had been responsible for the Banshee infestation was another point deducted from her in his books.**

 **If he expected her to be annoyed by this information, Nico was wrong when the woman known as 'Arfoire' simply waved it off like it was of no importance. Odds were whatever she was planning required Histoire in some form, but with how she was things wouldn't progress to the stage she wanted, he guessed. A part of him wondered if they should be collecting the fragments at all if that's the case. "I know. I came to ask you about Neptune."**

 **That caused the space to jump for the briefest of seconds, but both Nico and Arfoire noticed. "Did you… meet Neptune?" she asked with slight hesitation, but it was enough for him to realise she was nervous. Nervous about whatever plans Arfoire had for Neptune. The mere thought of this woman hurting one of his comrades in the future was enough to incite his rage again, to the point where he was one step away from activating Demon Drive Demonica to ascend into his DPU Form and ripping that bitch to shreds.**

* * *

"Edgelord alert, Edgelord alert!"

"Hush, Neptune. There's a difference between Edgelord and overly protective."

"Meh, what's the difference?"

"..."

* * *

 **Unaware of the observer, Arfoire's tone took on a sinister, more evil tone while her eyes narrowed darkly. "So, it was you after all…" she said as if she had a hunch about her actions all along. Nico's eyes also narrowed, but for different reasons. "You're the one who's been guiding her."**

 **Despite seemingly being found out, Histoire still did her best to sway Arfoire from the truth. "What can I do?" she asked, hoping she would believe her. Nico fully believed her attempts would be futile, especially with the way this woman acted. 'Despite what she may seem, she seems to be a tactician of sorts, a planner. She tries to tackle problems with one plan while having several backup plans. A final villain if I take words from Neptune…' the male mused in his mind. "I am sealed and unable to do anything."**

 **Like he thought, Arfoire didn't believe her one bit, though she didn't do anything to her. She turned away from the blurred tome and spoke "Hmph. What a liar." She then began to walk away toward the exist she used, slowly. Before she could leave for good however, the woman turned her head back to face the blurred form of Histoire, an ominous, twisted malice in her voice when she spoke. "No matter. I will defeat her, and that boy toy she has, another time."**

* * *

"Okay, one 'eeewwww', and two: is it even more gross that I can ACTUALLY imagine Arfie saying this?"

"Nep, i'm pretty sure she probably WOULD."

"You and me know her so well, Iffy."

* * *

 **It got harder and harder for him to not go down there and beat her to a bloody pulp. He was NOBODY's boy toy, damnit! She was lucky he was curious about her connection to Histoire otherwise Nico would have shredded her to pieces even without his Plasma Claws! Soon enough, she was at the entrance, her voice fading into the distance, as well as his mental consciousness. "The Goddesses are in my control. They shall fight by my will! Hahahaha!"**

* * *

 **With a Gasp, Nico's eyes opened wide when he felt himself return to the real world. He stumbled back, clutching his head with a groan while trying to make sense of what just happened. "Ugh, my head…" he moaned in discomfort, feeling a pounding sensation on his skull. 'What the hell was that just now? Was it some sort of vision?' he wondered with bafflement, despite the lack of comfort he was in.**

 **Nevertheless, there were more important things to think about, for example Arfoire's last sentence. The Goddesses are under her control? What did that mean? Did she have some form of connection to the CPUs? Whatever happened revealed to him a truck-load of information, information that Nico was unaware of beforehand which needed serious thought put into. This possible connection to the other CPUs sounded dangerous, and if that were the case then they might have to fight them all one by one or even together in the worst case scenario. That thought alone troubled him, as even with the powers of a DPU and CPU on their side, they would be hard pressed against 3 deity-class enemies.**

* * *

"Hmm…" Blanc muttered under her breath, cupping her chin in thought. "So, this guy's apparently someone who tends to think a lot and asks questions people normally wouldn't ask. Must have been a by-product of his upbringing as a soldier in the Guild, though I wonder if he would ever talk to IF about it. Then again, he's turning out to be quite the loner..."

Everyone glanced over to the secret (not really) bookworm as she became immersed in the story, pretty much muttering incoherent babble. Each of them sweat dropped as a result. "And there she goes, Blanc's gotten herself into author mode again..." Neptune chirped, chuckling.

Noire and IF rolled their eyes, but kept smirks on their faces as well whilst Compa beamed happily. "Blanc's just REALLY getting into this story." she commented.

"Noire, Neptune." Vert started, getting said girls' attention. "I'd like to bet with you. 500 Credits says Blanc will get like that young boy who got strong lby eating hair at least 5 times by the time this Lastation Arc ends. What do you say?"

"5000 Credits."

"Done."

"Whaaa? No Pudding? Poo..."

"You can just use the Credits to buy some, think about how many you could have in your fridge, Neptune..."

"I'm in, I'm in!"

* * *

 **His actions did not go unnoticed by the girls, however. "Hey, um, Nicky, are you alright?" Neptune asked with worry when they turned to see what the sudden groaning was. Compa walked up to him, her concern even greater because it was combined with her instincts as a Nurse-in-Training. "Nicky, are you feeling okay? Do you need some shots?" she asked worriedly, though Neptune paled when she realised just HOW she would give those shots to him if he said yes.**

 **Fortunately for her, and for him, that wouldn't be the case, as Nico looked up after his pounding had subsided, a small smile on his face as he rubbed her head affectionately. "Yeah, I'm good." He replied. "Just got lost for a moment there." He wouldn't tell them what he had experiences just yet. hell, he didn't even know himself. All Nico was certain was that they needed to find the Key Fragments before Arfoire did, and FAST. It seemed like she was a skilled planner, so they had to be careful. The only one who remained suspicious was IF, though she didn't say anything as they continued their way to Lastation.**

* * *

 **Finally, the party of four reached Lastation's Capital after they left its Sky Harbour. When they arrived, they saw that Lastation was QUITE unlike Planeptune, its complete opposite one would say. 'Huh, so this is Lastation… still as grey as I remember from my last mission outside Planeptune…' Nico thought with narrowed eyes. 'Although, the people seemed to be sadder than they were before, what happened?' he noticed the looks on the locals faces as they passed by. It was hidden, but Nico could see that they were in various states of depression, and that unnerved him.**

 **The last time Nico was in Lastation, the people had been in joy when he left, so what changed?**

* * *

"Avenir, that's what..." Noire grumbled irritably, whilst crossing her arms under her chest and clutching her elbows, getting looks of agreement and sympathy from the others. It wasn't like she needed that or anything, she could do well just fine as she was, even back then. Still, she'll let them think she needed it. "They really messed Lastation up back then, you have NO idea how much I had to go through to fix things."

* * *

 **Neptune, ever the oblivious one didn't notice as she was too busy going starry eyed as she looked around at the new sights. It made sense, with her lack of memory this would make it her first (?) time seeing another city from Planeptune. "Wow, this place is all steampunky! Iffy, what's this place called again?" she asked, turning towards the brunette who was still on her phone.**

 **When asked that question she looked up and smirked when she saw how excited the preteen looked. "Lastation, ruled by CPU Black Heart. Its obscured by various industries." She explained before glancing to their sole male member who was lost in his thoughts again. "Got something on your mind."**

 **He answered without stopping his thinking, in laymen's terms he did so on instinct. "Yeah, but I'm waiting for more solid evidence before I form a solid opinion." He replied vaguely. It was enough to rouse her suspicions, though not of him. She doubted someone like him would make something up unless it was for a good reason.**

 **"So, um, does the "theme" of each Land match with the Goddesses preference?" IF, now that she had her thoughts interrupted for the second time although by now she kind of figured it would happen a lot on this journey, turned once again back to Neptune who had asked her another question.**

 **Raising a brow at her, IF shook her head after reminding herself that even if she seemed all-knowing, Neptune still had amnesia. "No. The CPUs are here to protect us. It's us humans that shape the Land." She explained, before she heard a scoff from Nico. Turning to him, she saw that he was out of his thoughts for now, but with an irritated scowl on his features which looked intimidating even when he wasn't in his armour. "What's with you?"**

 **"They say they're protecting us, but they don't deal with the Abnormals." He replied simply with his arms folded in front of his chest while growling. His hands clutched his forearms tightly to express his irritation. "Humans formed their own means of survival in the form of Spec Ops, formed by people who didn't wait for the divines to protect us, we saved ourselves."**

* * *

"Oh yeah, that's a thing..." Neptune mused, now a bit more concerned than she had been before. "Looks like Nicky's kiiiinda not liking the CPUs right now..."

"Well, what do you expect?" IF responded, cupping her chin. "Back then, you, Lady Vert, Noire and Blanc spent centuries up there and we didn't hear much if anything from you all. It just seems like this Autor's trying to make the possible implications much more confirmed in this take than in the original."

Histoire, upon hearing this, sighed regretfully. "If his words are what he feels, then I don't know if I will be any better. If it weren't for me being sealed back then, perhaps I could have prevented that pointless war..." she whispered quietly, though the others heard her.

"Its okay, Histy." Compa chirped, getting up, walking over and reassuringly patting her softly on the small form of her back. "You did your best even back then, besides I still think of Nep-Nep as Nep-Nep." she stated. "Plus, Nep-Nep even now isn't much of a CPU to begin with, so nothing to worry about."

"Heeeey, Compaaaa…! I get the feeling you were backhandedly insulting me back there."

"Hm? Was I?"

* * *

 **Neptune looked at the two as she took their opinions in. While slightly worried about Nico's apparent hatred of the CPUs, she also took in his thoughts and gave a look of wonder as she placed an index finger on her chin. "Aw, that's so realistic. Compa, what are your thoughts on this land?" she asked, turning towards the sole party member who hadn't spoken yet.**

 **Turned out she wasn't as happy as Neptune had been when they first entered the new Land. She turned to her and smiled tough, not wanting to sound glum. "These factories and chimneys remind me of an industrial revolution." Her smile then faltered slightly as she continued. "But, I'm not into this kind of thing."**

 **'Yeah, Compa never was one for all this… I remember when she was young that she would always like to bask in the warmth of the sun in the Garden with either her grandfather or me.' the Spec Ops Agent thought, glad that they had moved on to a different topic. People say the CPUs were their protectors, but those in the Spec Ops have done more than they ever had thanks to them fighting in Celestia for so long. He hated when their hard work was undermined by religious fanatics, it felt like they were being cheated.**

 **IF shrugged her shoulders, not minding Compa's statement in the least as did the others. "It's not for everyone, but I think it's nice. Now, let's go to the Basilicom." She told them, they had to get on track for the mission. The others nodded their heads in agreement before they began navigating the streets to Lastation's Basilicom.**

 **Just 10 minutes into their journey however, Nico noticed that Neptune was no longer with them. When he looked around, the male tried to find her but there was no sign of her within the vicinity. A spark of worry formed in his chest as he hurried to inform the others. "Oh, shit guys, we've lost Neptune!" he called out.**

 **Compa and IF looked around after pausing to make sure they wouldn't run into someone. Looking around, the latter remarked to herself, "Wait, you serious? Damnit Nep, what are you thinking getting lost like this? Are you a kid that needs to hold onto their parent's hand every time?" she asked with frustration, before she blinked owlishly, realising the truth before doing a mix between a sigh and a groan as she palmed her forehead. "Nevermind, this is Nep we're talking about."**

* * *

"Oof!" Vert mimicked being punched in the gut, stifling her smirk whilst doing so."

"Sick burn..." Blanc, having just gotten out of her 'MHA' phase for the time being."

"But not an untrue one..." Noire stated with an aggressive smile, already joining in on the mocking Neptune bandwagon.

"Heeeeeeyyyyyy….!" Neptune proclaimed, standing up from her seat and glaring up at the other three CPUs. "Don't be mean! I'm no child!"

"Hours of game, anime ad manga content disagree with you, Neptune." The blackette responded sassily, eyeing her with her crimson eyes. "Besides, I DISTINCTLY recall a few times when you wandering off on your own got you into trouble to begin with, remembering the beginnings of rebirth 3 and victory?"

"..."

Neptune had no comment.

* * *

 **The former looked around, noticing how crowded the streets were. "Well, it's kinda easy for Nep-Nep to get lost here, since the crowds are so big." She pondered, trying to defend Neptune's actions, though it did sound weak.**

 **With a sigh of frustration, Nico began stepping away from them, "Alright, you girls wait here. I'll go see if I can find her." He told them before bolting through the streets like nobody's business. He could hear IF calling out to him, but ignored it in favour of finding Neptune.**

* * *

 **Making his way through the crowd was proving to be a chore to the male. It wasn't because of his lack of skill, Nico could have just breezed his way through if he wanted to, but right now he was on a strict time limit, and Neptune could be anywhere. It would make sense for Nico to be extremely worried for the preteen. She acted so childishly for goddesses' sake, anyone would try to take advantage of her!**

* * *

"Awwww, look at him, acting like a prince charming worried for his wifey, hehehehe! Unlike a CERTAIN group of people I know..." Neptune remarked, before pouting at the rest of the CPUs who looked away from her.

IF rolled her eyes at this though. "You can't deny that this Author knows how you work quite well, Nep. He must have played a lot of our games to do all this."

"I actually asked that friend of mine that I mentioned in the first chapter, Iffy." Compa then perked up, getting the others attention. "She says that the Autor writing this actually played the first few rebirth games whilst watching playthroughs of the others, even the spin-offs."

"Huh, so he likes ma Nep-bad huh? Well, can't blame him, since I like my bod too, ya know... and Pudding."

* * *

 **These thoughts plagued him constantly, until he eventually decided 'screw it!' and jumped onto the side of a building before leaping off onto a rooftop. He landed in a crouch and ran along the edges, looking down the streets from above to see where he could find any blob of purple.**

 **He did this for what felt like hours, and every time he came up short Nico's panic increased bit by bit. One time however, this panic proved to be his undoing as he misplaced a step, thus he fell off the side of the building he was running along the rooftop of, and fell towards the ground. 'Whoa, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!' he cursed repeatedly. His instincts quickly acted as he flipped himself to the right position and he landed in a crouching position, one hand on the ground while a small circle of dirt was released from the impact.**

 **"Kya!"**

 **What Nico didn't expect was for a feminine cry to sound out, breaching through the shockwave and reaching his ears. Reflexively after cursing a storm, Nico snapped to attention by shooting forwards and grasping the owner of the voice, homing in on her through sound, and grabbing her to stop her from falling. "Whoa there, sorry about that, you alright?" he asked with worry.**

* * *

"Whhhoooooooaaaaaaaa…!" Neptune exclaimed, her eyes white circles with black outlines. "This guy knows some Parkour, Nepu…!"

"That looks so cool...!" Compa exclaimed, stars taking the place of her eyes as she began to fantasize in her head.

"Didn't he also break some kind of first meeting trope? You know, with the two main characters colliding with one another?" IF wondered thoughtfully. "But seriously, wish I was allowed to do that."

"Oh yeah, I don't think the Devs let us be so fit with parkour either..." Neptune mused, pouting a bit at the design choices for the Neptunia franchise developers. "Hey guys over at Idea Factory, maybe that could be a good spin-off!"

At that point, after trying NOT to gush about the parkour skills Nico had shown just then, Noire blinked when she realized something. "Wait, isn't that...?"

* * *

 **The girl he had just stopped from taking an unfortunate tumble to the ground and likely getting a concussion was fair in skin tone like his companions. She had very long black hair about waist length, worn up in long pigtails with two-piece black and blue ribbons. Her bangs were neatly combed, framing her face and she had very noticeable red eyes. It was obvious that this girl paid lots of attention to her personal image.**

 **She wore a fancy dress consisting of dark blue, white, red, and small amounts of gold lining and buttons. The dress part covered a red with black spiked lining cloth while the breast part was white, along with the multi-layered skirt which had black lining on both layers. Behind her skirt was a blue bow, matching a smaller one worn around her neck attached to a black and white collar. In the centre was a gold piece. On her legs, were a pair of thigh high boots with silver medium heels, as well as a pair of white stockings connected by a Garter Belt that went inside her Skirt.**

 **This girl also had been staring at him in anger and embarrassment for more than a few seconds. "I'm fine, so would you get off me already?!" she shrieked, and he quickly complied, swiftly pulling her into an upright position and stepping back a few paces. Once she had regained her balance, the girl had taken a few breaths to calm her racing heart before she glared at the male in question. "What the heck were you thinking, jumping down like that?! What if someone got hurt?!"**

* * *

"Oh, look Noire! That's you!" Neptune proclaimed, dramatically pointing towards the scene shown on the projector. "That's your other right there!"

"So, Noire and Nico meet in this way, unlike in canon when she tries to murder Neptune..." Vert queried thoughtfully, cupping her chin before nodding to herself in silent approval. "I approve."

"W-Wait, doesn't this mean that he broke that gag with me?!" Noire proclaimed after a moment of thinking. She referred obviously, to the gag with people falling on top of her, though it wasn't like she had relief in her wen he stopped her from falling just now, nope not at all. "That one from Victory?! Yes, whoo hoo!"

"Well, this isn't victory or rebirth 3 just yet, so lets hope!"

"Neptune, I swear to Goddess..."

* * *

 **"Sorry, sorry!" Nico exclaimed in embarrassment. He wouldn't behave like this normally, but right now he was in a panic and struggling to form decent sentences. He didn't have enough time to recover from the accident he nearly caused. "It was an accident I swear! I was looking for someone in the Party I'm in using the rooftops, but I mis-stepped and fell!" he hurried to explain.**

 **After hearing his explanation, the girl huffed and crossed her arms "Hmph, not like I care or anything, your friend must be stupid to get lost in this crowd, it's rush hour after all, and this is a residential area." She told him, gesturing to the vicinity. Now that he looked about, Nico realised that indeed there was a significantly less amount of people about and the buildings looked more like homes than business shops.**

 **Nevertheless, it didn't stop him from gaping at the explanation 'So THAT's why! I've been looking in the wrong area! Shit, what is wrong with me?!' he cursed his carelessness. This wouldn't have happened if he had his armour on, it always had a calming effect on him. The thought of being protected from most conventional attacks always calmed him down when he was in a panic, or at least helped. He missed it so much…**

 **"O-Oh, thank you Mrs, you've been a major help to me." The male thanked her while lowering his head in a bowing gesture. He may be in a hurry, but Nico never forgot manners when in front of a lady, and he could tell this was a lady. He then stood up and asked her, "I know I'm in a hurry, but I can't let a debt go unpaid, so is there anything I can do for you in return?"**

 **Her mind registered those words, and the girl jumped slightly in surprise. She had been expecting him to just run off, leaving her in his dust. However, this was not what she expected. "I don't need any help from you! But, um… if you're asking then could you tell me if you've seen any Basilicom staff parties near here?" she asked him, making the male raise a brow in curiosity. Why was she fleeing from the Basilicom? Did she and the Basilicom not get along?**

 **Before he could ask her or before he could do anything even, Nico heard a bell ringing, and looked down at his Bracers. Both were still downloading data, but the right one had a notification on it. 'Huh? what's this?' he wondered, before he tapped the notification. A holographic screen popped into existence above the Bracer, floating there for him, and it read as follows:**

 ** _Downloading of Lastation data complete._**

 ** _Data assembled into Bracer Database._**

 ** _Continue? Yes/No_**

 ** _Note: if no, then the downloading process will pause,_**

 ** _and can be set once more in the settings menu._**

* * *

"Downloading Dungeon data..." IF muttered, surprise evident on her features. "My guess is THAT is how he gets maps for the Dungeons, unlike in the games where they're automatically available to the player when unlocked."

"Mou, why does Nicky have all the cool gadgets...?" Neptune whined. "He could at least share some with mwah, the ACTUAL main character."

"But Ni-Ni did give you that sword and Armour in the beginning, didn't he Nep-Nep?"

"..."

* * *

 **A wide grin spread across his face, things were looking up again! 'Pause the download? Hell yes! It may take some processing power, but it's better than nothing!' he thought to himself before commencing his actions. Pressing the 'No' on the message, a smaller one appeared in front telling him that it was paused before the two messages vanished with a BLIP! He then saw both Bracers return to their normal screens, nearly making him squeal like a fangirl.**

 **"Uh, what are you so happy about? And what's with the Bracers?" the girl asked, having remained silent as she watched him. From annoyance to happy borderline gleeful, she had seen his emotions on his features. It was like he was a child getting a new toy for Christmas or regaining the use of one when it was taken away.**

 **Blinking, Nico almost didn't catch her question, however he did and thus he nearly face-palmed once again for losing himself, in front of a stranger no less. 'This must be what it's like to go without my armour!' he screamed mentally, almost losing it right there and then. Fortunately, the male distracted himself by responding. "Oh, these babies have a variety of functions, ones I lost access to when they began downloading Data about the other Nations. They have quite the processing power, but this is still a lot of data to swallow, even for them. One such function is a Map." He explained.**

 **The girl remained silent as she watched with slight fascination as she saw him manipulate the screen to show a holographic Map of the Landmass Lastation was on, before Nico zoomed in on the capital city, then to the area they were in. There were several white dots around the street hologram, while Nico himself was a blue dot. The male looked at the street thoughtfully for a moment, before his gaze shifted back to her. "Whelp, from what I can see it seems that there's no Basilicom parties within the vicinity." He told her, much to the girl's relief if the deep sigh is anything to go by. "Why are you avoiding the Basilicom, and why would they send parties after you? You a political figure they want to keep close or something?"**

 **That was the best reason Nico could think of for why the Basilicom would want to keep a lady like her under watch. Her state of dress looked posh and expensive, indicating that she had a lot of money, which also indicated she was either rich or in a high position of power. If that was the case, then he could understand the need for secrecy, though he wondered why she would think they'd go so far. Nonetheless, it wasn't his business so he wouldn't pry, plus he was in a hurry. At his question, the girl sweated slightly with nervousness. She turned away from him while scratching the side of her jaw. "Well… something like that, but don't be fooled! I'm plenty strong, I just don't want any unnecessary conflicts on my way outside!"**

* * *

Upon hearing his thoughts and seeing his deductive skills, Noire had to admit to herself, she felt impressed. Not many people would take those things into consideration, and if this would be a harem fanfic, the protagonist seemed to show he wasn't like a typical dumb male lead either. Though, she wouldn't admit it to the others, no way in hell otherwise Neptune would tease her endlessly.

"My, what a detective, this young man is." Vert cooed, hands clasped together with excitement. "Detective novels aren't as good for me as BL Games, but they're a good second place if you know what I mean." Though what she DIDN'T mention was how she began to imagine Nico in a butler outfit servicing her in ANY way possible... he, she liked 2D Men, alright? This is 2D enough for her!

Blanc's eyes though, they remained glued to the screen, staring intently as she waited for the next scene to play. From the moment that she first began to watch it she had already begun making notes about what to do for her next feature novel entry.

* * *

 **With that out of the way, Nico nodded in acceptance. "Yeah, I'll go with you on that one, women tend to have more guts than most guys anyways. Anyways, I gotta hurry, if I don't find my friend soon I worry for what may happen to her." He told her before quickly leaving the area.**

 **"H-Huh? hey wait!" she tried to call out for him but he was too far to hear for her. The girl pulled her arm back and frowned in thought. "Wow, that guy was fast… though it's not like its impressive or anything, he'll likely get into another accident and in the end, it'll be for naught." She remarked. The girl then realised something that she had neglected to inquire of him. "I didn't even get his name back there… well, not like I'll see him any time soon. I better go, the Basilicom might have already noticed I'm gone, although thanks to that guy I know they haven't caught on yet." Confirming that to herself, the young woman continued her way to the outside of Lastation.**

* * *

 **Nico jumped over the rooftops, now a lot calmer than he was before. The fact that his Bracers were working again was a major boost to his state of mind, calming him immensely. With them active once more, he could search the City more thoroughly, due to the dots varying in colours to represent different people. The white dots were civilians, blue was himself, red were his enemies, and green were the other party members. It didn't take him long to use the Holomap to navigate the city and find Neptune's location, he figured out where she was based on where there was a lone green dot in the middle of so many white ones.**

* * *

"I get the feeling that those Bracers could serve a great purpose in this Adventure." IF remarked. "It'd be nice if we could avoid some of the hiccups we encountered with them, like whenever we got lost on jobs... mostly because of Nep."

"Iffy, that's mean! I'm not THAT bad, am I right ladies? Eh? Why's everyone looking away from me right now? eh? Guys?"

* * *

 **Soon enough, the male landed on a street that was crowded significantly, yet nobody seemed to bat an eyelash to him jumping from a tall height. That was a source of concern for the male, but he didn't pay it heed for long. His eyes searched through the area until, at long last, his eyes laid their gaze upon the person whom he'd been searching for this whole time. "Neptune!"**

 **Upon hearing her name, Neptune, who had been seated at a café eating what appeared to be some form of candy, looked up and saw him. A bright grin formed on her face as she waved at him merrily, "Hey there Nicky! How ya doin?! These candy snacks are delicious ya know, so hard and crunchy! Wanna have some, I have several!" she offered, oblivious to the ominous aura that the male was wearing.**

 **She had vanished… leaving them to worry about her… caused him to get into an accident… for food?!**

* * *

"You know..." IF began in a deadpanned voice, everyone giving the liliac haired Goddess deadpanned looks just like she did. "I can TOTALLY see her doing something like this whenever she tries to run from Histoire and her paperwork."

"Normally I would not say such things, but I wholeheartedly agree with you, IF."

"Thanks Histoire."

"Pft, RUDE much guys?!"

"Nep-Nep.. they're not exactly wrong, look at rebirth 1's normal ending for proof..."

"Eh?! Compa too?! Don't betray meeeee…!"

* * *

 **He uttered her name again in a low tone of voice, the anger unmistakable in it as well as in his eyes. It was at this moment that Neptune saw it, and that moment Neptune knew, she'd fucked up. A nervous sweat rolled down her features as he advanced towards her, sounding more like a giant than a human. "Ahahahaha, uh, you okay there, Nicky? Your face, it's scary." She asked him worriedly.**

 **Once he reached her, Nico's hand shot forth like a blur and grasped onto one of her ears, pulling it roughly as he glared down at her. "You little missy, are in a LOT of trouble. when we get back to the others, you're getting scolded!" he scowled at her, before proceeding to drag her out of the café area not caring about any eyes that were drawn to them. He didn't give a shit about any of that, just wanted to get back to the girls and give Neptune a proper scolding once the time was right.**

 **"Owww, owowowowowowow! Nicky, your pulling to hard, my ear!" Neptune complained as she struggled to free herself from her companion's grip. Any struggling she made however only made him pull tighter though, while he remembered the way he had come from but applied the knowledge of the streets to recall where Compa and IF were. They were going to want to hear this, so first finding them. Then head to the Basilicom, find a hotel then give Neptune the scolding of a lifetime.**

* * *

"Ni-Ni looks kinda like Histy does whenever she's gonna punish Nep-Nep for being a slacker..."

"Compa my dear, I will completely agree with you on that."

"Thanks, Vert."

* * *

 **"Owowowowowow-huh? No, my caaaaaaaannnnnnnnndyyyyyyyyyyy!"**

 **"Too bad, Neptune! Think of it as part of your future punishment for making us worry!"**

 **"NEPU!"**

 **Bystanders could only watch the situation as the male dragged Neptune by the ear and out the shop. They could only think to themselves: what the fuck was that about?**

* * *

There, the chapter finally concluded as the screen faded to black. In that moment, everyone began to discuss it, mostly about the things they liked about the chapter. "Now THAT was a good chappie, guys!" Neptune proclaimed. If a fanfiction which could grab her attention for as long as it had like this one had, then it HAD to be worth somewhat of a read. "Wonder what candy my other had tasted though... maybe i'll just sne-ah, I mean visit Lastation sometime to try it." she proclaimed, shuddering at the evil glare that Histoire gave her.

A glare which got supported by IF whilst Compa smiled weakly, not saying anything.

"You'll do no such thing, Neptune!" Noire heatedly spat, mimicking what the Oracle for Planeptune thought inside her mind. "I have enough on my plate without you lousing about not doing your job like you should be!" She didn't like the idea that one of her rivals would be trying to slack off in her own Nation, even if it was Neptune. She wanted to win against Neptune fair and square, to prove that Lastation was the superior Nation to the one her... friend... had. Plus, whenever Neptune launched those surprise visits of hers, it usually ends in chaos which increased her already stacked workload.

Vert meanwhile, began going down a different thought process. "This chapter is excellent, and here I thought I had been invested before. Hopefully the Author makes this even better in the later chapters. He should, this has over 100 Chapters already..." She couldn't imagine what kind of dedication this Author had to make this Story as long, detailed and large as it was, part of her even wondered if it rivalled the dedication she herself had with her videogames. Maybe she could find out who it is that makes this and possibly invite him into Leanbox as a story writer for one of her Gaming Companies... maybe just another gamer in 4 Goddesses Online, instead.

Upon seeing that the chapter had finished, Blanc stared intently at Histoire, stating the following with a hard edge to her tone. "Next... Chapter."

"E-Eh? Um-"

"NEXT CHAPTER!"

"O-Ok!"

* * *

 **Chapter end**

 **Here you go guys, the next reading chapter. Expect inconsistent updates since I have other projects in development, but I'll still try to deliver on this story too. I'm open to ideas and suggestions for funny scenes with the Neptunia cast, either in the reviews or PMs, so don't be afraid. Also, I'm curious do you guys wish for, when I reach the point, to divert to the Side Story I have in development for Noire? Then divert back to the crossover arc in the works? No matter what fic I write, I do make sure to put the effort into it, so no worries are needed there.**

 **Lemme know what you guys think!**

 **Peace Out!**


	15. Chapter 15 - Reading Chapter 14

"At last... the next chapter." Blanc spoke as once again the video for the fanfiction started up, her eyes gazing intently at the screen as if they were glued to it.

"Is it just me, or is Blanc somehow REALLY hyped for this chapter?" Neptune wondered as she and the rest of them (Noire, Vert, herself, Compa, IF and Histoire in case you all have forgotten readers) watched with slightly forced pleasant expressions regarding the Lowee CPU. "Though, I guess I can KIINDA get why."

"Its been a while since the last chapter update, Nep." IF remarked, breaking the fourth wall just like the other CPUs did on a regular basis. Come on, she's been with these four all the time, as WELL as accompanied them on multiple of their world-saving adventures, she HAD to have picked up at least on one habit... or two. "Not to mention the fic's been getting updated quite a bit recently, its got over 200 chapters at this point."

Compa nodded her head in agreement, a rather excited look forming in her eyes at the mention of how large the fic's gotten. "Yup-yup! Whoever made this is always working hard to achieve his goal, so I salute him!" she proclaimed, giving a military salute to the screen as it began to play.

"Alrightie then, lets get watching people!"

* * *

 **Chapter 14 - Nico Flips out**

* * *

"Nico flips out?" Histoire questioned, frowning in worry whilst the rest looked at one another curiously. "I hope nothing bad happens..."

"Waaaaay to jinx us there, Histy." Neptune chided, pouting like a child as she glanced over to her Nation's Oracle. "Why you gotta do us dirty like that, huh?"

"May I remind you that I have NOT forgotten what happened in the middle of last week? You STILL have your punishment to take care of."

"Grk!"

"Um, what is Histy talking about, Iffy?"

"Nep pulled a stupid prank on Histoire to get her to loosen up a bit, mostly to avoid being nagged all the time to do work... it didn't go so well."

"Ah, I see."

Whilst IF and Compa conversed about the way that Neptune looked like her spirit just left her body at the calm Histoire's sentence, Noire herself worried if this 'flipping out' had something to do with her... or rather. the way her Nation had been during this time,

* * *

 **After retrieving Neptune once he had searched the city, gotten into a near accident with a beautiful lady,**

* * *

Cue a crimson blush from Noire at being called beautiful in such a manner. and some 'discreet' snickers from the others, much to her embarrassment when she glared at them.

* * *

 **Nico brought her back to where IF and Compa were waiting. They had some choice words of their own to say, when they learned that Neptune had vanished from their sights when she had smelled something good and went off to investigate, losing interest in their primary goal. Once that was over with, and by god it took about a couple hours along with bonking's on the head and threats of getting shots from Compa's Syringe, IF had explained that they had met someone named Falcom, who had told them where to go to get to the Basilicom.**

* * *

"Ooooh, Falcom! I expected her to be mentioned in the story, but it looks like she's not gonna make an appearance... bummer." Neptune commented, pouting since she really wanted to see her crimson haired friend again.

IF then hummed thoughtfully as something clicked within her mind. "I heard she's going to be taking a break from adventuring to write up some new novels, actually." she spoke. "Something about wanting to rest her legs for a spell."

Noire wanted to say something regarding her actually reading those Novels and being a major fan of them, but like a cute manga character who is known as 'too pure' with her communication disorder, she remained silent due to being too nervous to admit it.

She didn't like the way Vert gave her a knowing smirk about it though.

* * *

 **Falcom, was a name Nico recognised from his adventures in Lastation. She was a travelling Adventurer who liked helping people and was genuinely a good person. He'd met her a few times as well, and while she was pretty decent with a blade, Falcom had nothing on the one who trained him. Plus, it didn't exactly help tat she tried to stay out of the Abnormals way whenever they were reported on the Guild Website, something she frequently visited to plan her next journey. If she had the confidence to fight them, then things for her would get a whole lot easier. It wasn't that she had no confidence in er abilities, it was just that there was a big difference in strength and prowess between normal Gamindustri Monsters and Abnormal Monsters. She knew this because she had almost died when fighting an Abnormal that ambushed her, and she would have had Nico not been nearby hunting the Beast down. Thus, they met.**

* * *

"I get the feeling that this guys' gotten around in his days, huh..." Compa muttered when thy saw Nico reflect this in his monologue.

Histoire nodded her head in agreement with her on that front. "He DOES work with a job that lets him go to other Nations, Compa. Its only to be expected."

"Much UNLIKE a certain someone who faked their resume back then, no aiming or judging though." Neptune remarked thoughtfully, hough the smirk on her lips spoke otherwise.

She had to dodge a Qatar aimed at her head for that one.

* * *

 **Since she told them about where to find the Basilicom, Nico had no complaints about talking to strangers, so off they went.**

* * *

 **When they were at the Basilicom, Neptune, now sporting a red ear curtsey of Nico who still looked mildly irritated at her, made to kick the door down like she did the last time. However, she felt chills roll up her spine and KI from behind her so she didn't. She didn't want to have her other ear suffer the same fat, gosh Neppit! Instead she strolled up and opened the door wide like a semi-normal person. It was the best that they could get from someone like Neptune who could be considered a 'rebel' in multiple forms.**

 **Inside it looked much like the Planeptune Basilicom, only the golden colours were replaced with silverfish grey, and there was black everywhere else. It gave off a very… different vibe. While the Planeptune Basilicom gave off a sense of friendliness and comfort, this one had the complete opposite. The Lastation Basilicom felt cold, stiff and formal, a lack of friendliness about it. it was more like a military camp than a place of worship.**

* * *

Noire slumped down on her seat, bad memories surfacing in her mind. That pretty much summarized her Basilicom's state pretty well, if she were honest. Nothing more than a suffocating cage where she was merely used as a figurehead. 'At least Vert had the comfort of her otaku and games to make her life better...' Noire thought to herself in bitterness, remembering what the blonde CPU had said about her time without her powers.

Said woman, whom had been silent for this entire chapter so far, broke that record at this moment. "Heavens! That DOES sound like an uncomfortable place to be in." she remarked with a light gasp. She'd heard the story from Noire but seeing it herself? Whole new ball game,

"Don't remind me."

* * *

 **'Okay… something is SERIOUSLY wrong, here…' Nico thought, instantly on alert. His instincts were screaming at him in the form of an Event Trigger, telling him that this was not a good place to be. 'Basilicoms can be stiff and formal at times, especially when I was briefed with my fellow agents, but this… this is almost suffocating. It's more like there's no sign of human life at all, like these staff members…' he glanced to the Basilicom Staff people he could see scattered, though there weren't as many as in the Planeptune Basilicom, how they moved and how they acted. '… It's like they're drones or something.'**

 **"Um, 'scuse me! I came to meet Lady Black Heart, but is she around?" Neptune, bless her oblivious soul, called out to get someone, anyone's attention. Perhaps it was because she got such a positive reaction the last time, although that guy was a closest lolicon in Nico's eyes. But nonetheless, this time he had a hunch that Neptune would get a completely different reaction to her presence.**

 **His hunch was proven to be true, when one of them walked on over from one of his colleagues, who looked equally as pissed as he did, as he waved his arm around like it was fly repellent. "Who are you kids? This isn't a playground. Scram!" he yelled in fury.**

* * *

"Such a rude, vulgar young man..." Histoire commented with an expression similar to one a noble lady would make whenever they heard of things like scandals going on, looking like she wanted to pulverize the staff member right then and there. Histoire did NOT take too kindly to seeing someone address their patron Goddess that way, nope not at all since she saw the CPU and Candidate she served as her own daughters. If anyone tried speaking to them like that in HER presence... well, erasure from history would be the LEAST of their worries.

For some reason, Neptune and Nepgear (who was somewhere else at the moment) then felt a surge of motherly protectiveness wash over them, giving them a sense of safety which they didn't recognize as such.

Her indignation did lesson when Noire mentioned on how she'd made SURE to expel every one of those who supported that organisation from her Basilicom when they had won the battle.

* * *

 **The girls were all taken aback by the instant hostility, but none more so than Neptune herself. Hot rage flowed through Nico's veins as he gritted his teeth when he saw the hurt look in her eyes. Her hurt look then melted away, and was replaced by anger as she puffed her cheeks out while placing her hands on her hips. "Hey! that's no way to treat your guests!" she shouted back just as hotly.**

 **While the man's face was starting to redden with his anger, while Compa tried to play peacemaker to stem potential conflict. "We really need to meet the CPU. We're trying to get Nep-Nep's memory back." She explained, calm and smiling like an angel. Only a true asshole would dare ignore this and treat her bad.**

 **As she pouted and grumbled at the man, Neptune, who was wondering what the heck was wrong with the meanie staff in this Basilicom suddenly had a burst of inspiration. A light bulb switched on in her head as she raised a hand, formed a fist, and fisted her palm. "Oh, I know! This must be an event flag where I have to name myself first." She said, thinking that game logic will be able to solve this matter.**

 **'I'm sure that'll fail epically, Neptune…'**

* * *

"Yeah Nep, what WERE you thinking? That couldn't have been it, you know."

"HEY! I was just trying to be cheerful and look on the bright side, iffy! Its what ya gotta do if you wanna be like mwah and see the good things in life!"

"Something tells me I should only do 50% of that..."

* * *

 **She walked up to the man, Nico watching her every move like a hawk. She then raised a hand as she went and 'triggered the event flag'. "My name is Neptune!" she introduced herself, before going behind Compa, IF, then Nico, placing her hands on their shoulders and peering out from behind them. "This is Compa, and Iffy and Nicky!"**

* * *

"You do realize that's not going to work, right Neptune? Unlike your other over in the story viewing..." Vert questioned with a tilt of the head.

"Hmph, well maybe it might be altered from canon plot like a lot of fanfic writers tend to do in an attempt to be original." Neptune replied to try and defend her other self.

* * *

 **"Stop Rambling! I don't care who or what you are. Now, get out of here!" The man roared, his face now red with rage that quickly crushed the preteen's spirits with zero mercy.**

* * *

"Can someone let me have a phone real quick?" Vert questioned.

"Why?" Blanc asked, speaking for the first time since the chapter first began due to being so engrossed into the story.

"Because I called it, of course."

* * *

 **'Called it.' Nico thought** (Unknowingly making Vert puff her large chest out in pride at being confirmed right, triggering Blanc all the while) **, though he wasn't happy about it. his instincts were screaming and roaring in anger, demanding him to soak his hands in this man's blood. His eyes widened however, when he realised what he was thinking. 'What? When did I… I've never been so vicious before. True my fighting style may be brutal, but with the thoughts running through my mind… if this hunch is right I'm in deep shit.' He thought as an idea formed inside his head.**

 **Finally, IF couldn't stand to remain quiet any longer. Her hands were in her pockets as she levelled a stern glare at the Basilicom Staff member. Recalling the Planeptune and Lastation variants, she felt like she would prefer the former despite his little loli fetish. "Wow, so much for civility from the Basilicom…" she remarked snidely, pissed off just as much as the girls were. A small smirk then formed on her lips as she decided to give the man a taste of his own medicine. "They say the clothes make the man, bit I guess the CPU isn't all that great."**

* * *

"Oooooooooooooooh!"

"Ouchies, that burn must hurt him a lot!" Compa shouted, going into 'nurse mode'. "Should I get him some ice?"

"Pretty sure that this is a STORY, Compa…" IF retorted, shutting the girl down as the Chapter continued.

* * *

 **'OOF! Sick burn!' Nico thought while trying to hide his gleeful grin. He liked the snarky attitude the Guild Agent possessed, it made for some interesting conversations. He checked to see if the Man looked any more insulted, hoping to get an amusing reaction for the words she said to him.**

 **However, he was sorely mistaken as the man's anger disintegrated and became one of dismissal. "Say what you want." He said with a callous wave of his hand like swatting fly, much to the surprise of the others at how carelessly he just dismissed the insult, to his own CPU no less! That should be grounds for heresy according to the ways of the fanatical, but when they looked to the others they didn't even bat an eyelash. It was safe to assume they felt the same way as this guy, which begged the question: why did the CPU bother keeping them around? "I could care less what Black Heart is being called."**

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **…**

 **Silence.**

* * *

Ironically, that could be what described the others too as they each frowned/fumed, with the knowledge of this being a story being the sole string which kept their anger in check. Even Neptune looked pissed... or rather, she looked the most pissed, even more so than Blanc not like anybody noticed.

* * *

 **IF could not even speak right now as she stared with a gobsmacked expression on her face. She did NOT expect her words to have so little an impact on this guy, weren't Basilicom Staff members supposed to act, you know, pissed when someone insults their CPU? Something was off here and she didn't like it.**

 **Meanwhile, Neptune pouted at the man, not liking how callously he was treating his supposed 'Goddess'. She just had to speak up against this, thoughts she didn't know why it ticked her off so much. "Hey! You've got a group of cute girls here pleading. C'mon, let us meet her!"**

 **However, her words had no effect on the man as he glared at her, and then it spiralled even further downhill when he raised a hand to smack her across the face. Neptune's eyes widened when she saw it coming, but before she could react a certain someone grabbed the offending arm by its wrist, holding it steady in place.**

* * *

"Now HOLD it a second, buster!" Neptune called out, her cheeks enlarged thanks to the air in them making them look all puffy, as she angrily glared at the Screen, unable to contain herself any longer. "That's no way to treat a Nep!"

"For once, Neptune's right."

"GASP! Wha, you're DEFENDING me?! Awwww, I knew you cared for me, Noire! Totally feeling the love here!"

"What you should really do is go for the back of the head to knock her out before she hits the ground."

"... and the love just runs off screaming like a wife divorcing her lover... noooo, where did the lovey stuff go?!"

"..."

Whilst that happened between Noire and the Planeptune CPU, Blanc stared at the protective arm and realized just WHO had blocked it, causing her to let out a slight smirk. 'Heh, looks like this guy's gonna get what's coming to him...' she thought with an evil glimmer in her eyes that, if children saw, would... end up giving them nightmares.

* * *

 **"Now that…" the one who acted began, and when they looked the girls saw that it was Nico, and boy did he look pissed. "is not a way to treat a girl." He said with a scowl, clenching the man's wrist in a progressively tighter grip. The Basilicom Staff member gritted his teeth as his struggled to break free, yelling at him to let go. However, Nico didn't even make any notion that he'd heard him as he swiftly pulled the man close before grasping his neck and hoisting him up into the air.**

 **His feet dangled above the ground while the man swayed himself in the air like a fish caught on a hook. "You tried to hurt someone I consider a comrade, you raised your hand to someone who was considered an honoured Guest in your Basilicom…" Nico recounted, looking away from the man for a moment. His free hand flexed its fingers into a shape that resembled claws as he slowly lifted it up. The man's eyes widened with horror at the rising KI, he realised what the guy was planning to do next. But what made it worse was the boy's eyes. They were no longer the eyes he held before, no these eyes were… almost inhuman. the coldness in his ice was worse than any snowstorm, and the KI made him feel like he was staring death in the face as Nico readied himself to 'discipline' this man for the first, and last, time. "That alone warrants some punishment, don't you think? Only… you'll never walk from this again."**

* * *

"Wait, is he SERIOUSLY going to kill someone?!" Neptune shouted once her eyes registered what she had just seen take place. She then proceeded to wave her arms up in the air above her like she were trying to signal a plane to touch down after a long flight. "Danger, danger! Code red, we have a code red! Abort, abort!"

Similar looks formed on the rest of them, with Vert leaning forwards whilst gripping her kneecaps tightly, her eyes remaining glued to the screen.

IF's eyes remained wide as she stared at the projection, unable to take her eyes away from what would happen next, gulping some saliva down her throat.

Blanc looked like she were a slasher about to claim his or her next victim, even with the crimson eye and the shadowed face exposing only her sadistic-looking smile.

Noire herself crossed her arms over her chest, gritting her teeth as she mentally reminded herself that this wasn't real, that she shouldn't transform and go save that man. Even if her Nation's people weren't the... best, they were STILL her people so they did deserve her protection after all.

"THIS is what is supposedly going to set Ni-Ni off?!" Compa exclaimed, shock and horror settling into her system. She looked a little more pale than usual, well actually a LOT more as she shuddered at the thought of witnessing an almost-murder happening right before her eyes. It might not be the real thing, but Compa could NEVER stand something like that, she always got scared whenever IF would come to her house for a night of movies, only to pull pranks on her by putting on the scary ones. Her grandfather did the same thing to her growing up... she never got over it. "I don't like seeing any body hurt!"

* * *

 **"Nico, stop!"**

 **The sound of IF's voice snapped him out of his glare and his eyes lost their intensity. Glancing behind him, he saw that the brunette had her hand on his shoulder, the one that had the hand clutched into the claw formation. Her eyes bore directly into his own as her grip on his shoulder remained rigid. It was a stern stare she gave him, one that while he did return, there was something briefly in her eyes like a flash, that he saw. Fear. She had panicked.**

 **Glancing behind her, Nico almost winced. The two girls behind her, Neptune and Compa, looked absolutely mortified right now. And when their eyes landed on him, they both flinched, looking away from him. That hurt like a stab to the heart for the male, as he realised that they were afraid of him, afraid of someone who they had called comrade.**

 **"You don't have to go that far." IF's voice made his attention snap back to her. He could see her sternness still, but the more he considered her eyes, the more Nico could tell that she was nervous. The hand on his shoulder shook slightly, and no matter how much she tried it refused to stop. "He's not worth it, let's just go and find some other way."**

 **The two stared each other down for a moment, and for the duration of that time the atmosphere was thick with tension, to the point where you could cut it with a knife. IF gulped slightly, but didn't break her gaze from him. What she just saw right now, was something she had never seen from Nico before, a side of him that took her by surprise. Though, she wouldn't say she wasn't a little bit scared because that would be lying. She was glad her knees weren't shaking as bad as her body wanted them to. The Guild Agent could only imagine what kind of emotions were flowing through the two girls behind them though.**

 **Finally, the male's eyes looked away from her in a sign of defeat, his muscles relaxing as he calmed himself down. With one last glare to the Basilicom Staff Member into one of the pillars, before he turned his head back to her and nodded. "Alright… I'll not…" he relented, much to the Guild Agent's relief.**

 **Afterwards, the three left the Basilicom, but not before giving the shaken worker one least death glare.**

* * *

"Phew... glad our others got outta THAT untainted." Neptune wheezed, wiping her forehead clean with her right arm sleeve. One could see her proceeding to calm down now that things had been stopped from getting out of hand, her earlier panic settling down. "Woulda lost the usual crowd if we hadn't..."

"Tch, I woulda knocked his freaking clock off, that little git..."

"And there goes Blanc, about to go into rage mode like those monsters do in that realistic-seeming hunting game."

"Shut yer hole!"

"Oi, you all shut up!" Noire suddenly shouted, catching everyone by surprise as she give them the 'shut up or I'll make you shut up' look of hers. "The next part's starting, and it looks like I'M being featured!" Upon her saying that, things clicked in their minds and the rest then understood IMMEDIATELY why Noire had yelled at them the way she had.

Really, Noire could be such an attention hog sometimes.

* * *

 **Deep within a forest, far from the main city, there were sounds of combat filling the air. "This is the end!" a loud, womanly voice full of confidence yelled out. The sounds of metal meeting flesh and the cries of agony from a monster signalled the end of the battle. The womanly voice then huffed, and if one could see the owner, they would tell that she was smirking cockily. "Well, that was easy. What a fool to have faced me." As the monster that was locked in a deadly battle fell to the ground and vanished into particles, a bright flash took over the area, and when it died down it was revealed to be the same girl that Nico had nearly fallen onto.**

 **She looked to have been fighting for a short amount of time, with her clothes having wrinkles in multiple areas, and light scratches adorned her body. they weren't anything major, certainly nothing that she couldn't handle. She exhaled a sigh of relief as she saw the last of the monster disappear. "Whew… I didn't expect so many monsters to be spawning in the land."**

 **It hadn't been long, but the girl had easily noticed that the populations for monsters have been spiking dangerously, to the point where settlements would get fearful of attacks. The cause was still unknown however, which only made it worse, so the only option she had was to go and take the monsters down herself.**

 **Not like anyone else would do this.**

* * *

"Hmmm... something's a bit iffy with that statement, and NO Iffy, this wasn't one of my usual Iffy puns." Neptune stated, all whilst waving off the irate glare sent her way by the mentioned Guild Agent. "It would be a bit SWUIFFY if I were to do that." she ended off, this time smirking in a 'yes I did that' kind of look.

"... Somebody smack that brat for me, please?"

SMACK!

"Ouch!"

In came a smack from an equally irritated Noire, prompting the brunette to give her a thumbs up in return.

* * *

 **This attack, was said to be one of the nastier ones, a horde of monsters commanded by what the Guild said was an 'Abnormal' was actively ambushing caravans and attacking the minor villages dotted around Lastation's Landmass. Abnormal Monsters were new, so the Lastation Guild had little solid information on them due to how unpredictable and varied their behaviours, mannerisms and actions were, so they had designated them as Abnormals. This kind of behaviour hadn't been observed before by the Guild until a couple years ago, so it was only natural that they would panic. So, the girl decided to go out and take care of it herself, as the Guild's Spec Ops Agents, a matter she had discovered that the humans had designed themselves while the CPUs were in Celestia, were out on other missions to keep the monsters at bay.**

 **Unfortunately she hadn't much time on her hands, what with recent issues and al, to look into the Spec Ops Agents further.**

* * *

"Ah, I see now. That's what the author meant with the whole 'not everyone would do this' talk earlier." Ver commented thoughtfully as she pieced together the situation in her mind... likely due to all the detective games she had played in her long life. "It seems to me that these Abnormals really are a dangerous threat in this Gamindustri, but because of their quantity and quality its really difficult to deal with them. These 'Spec Ops Agents' as strong as they are, they are much smaller in number and as such cannot be everywhere at once to fight back the tides. The reason why the Military isn't being mentioned is likely due to the Abnormals being way tougher than our kind of monsters, as you all have seen when one of them nearly took Neptune out back in Planeptune." She explained... whilst suddenly having put on a brown trench coat, a matching hat and a moustache as she wrote everything down on a chalk board. Complete with chibi style illustrations of little monsters making roaring noises, alongside small humans making screaming ones.

...

...

...

Silence reigned over the room, before Compa asked the obvious question on everyone's mind. "Um, Vert? Where did you get that outfit?" she questioned.

"You might not want to ask, Compa, we could all use some sanity." Vert responded, a light smirk on her lips before shaking her head. "But seriously, dear, I just got this outfit made by some friends... its a cosplay outfit though, something that someone who shall not be named likes very much." she added on to nobody in particular, mentally grinning like a gremlin at the slightly uncomfortable look on Noire's face as she shuffled about on her seat.

* * *

 **As days passed, more and more Monsters were seen trying to gather others under their control to attack settlements. The first few days there were one or 2 packs to deal with, then 3, then 6, then 9... yeah, the problem was clear. However, the Lastation military could do little to hold them off completely, their only secure defence being the Spec Ops Agents. While she had little on them that was concrete, the girl had formed an opinion of them from what little rumours she had heard. To her, Spec Ops Agents were a double edged sword, they fought for their own beliefs, and not towards that of another Goddess, which practically undermined the entire society they lived in. It was a wonder why nobody charged them with heresy yet, though they were under the Guild's jurisdiction, so they could believe whatever they wished to believe. After all, the Guild was filled with people who may live in one Nation, but worship the CPU of another.**

 **"Well," the girl started before flicking a hand through one of her long pigtails. "The area is cleansed. This was the last pack of the day, so I better head back to the Basilicom." The girl mused, her smug smirk on full blast. However, it fell once the word Basilicom registered in her mind, or rather, the situation that revolved around it, becoming a solemn, reluctant frown. "Basilicom…. #Sigh# I really don't want to go back there." She grumbled with reluctance. It was especially sad that someone like her, who held pride over progress and that of her own Nation home, to not wish to return to it. However, she had no other option if she wished to keep up her attempts at retaining the peace.**

 **And so, with that the girl begrudgingly began her trek back to the Basilicom in the Capital, each step feeling heavier than the last.**

* * *

"Ahhhhh, the good ol' walk of shame, something we NEVER want to do in public." Neptune commented like a wise old man, before she shut up when multiple glares got thrown her way.

IF then commented with a thoughtful rub of her chin. "reminds me of that TV show with 8 seasons, dragons, politics and thrones when hat one character walked naked through the streets."

"You LIKED that show, Iffy? I'm one surprised Compa."

"What's wrong with that? With the way it ran, there's no way it could ever have gotten a decent conclusion with all the speculation which ran about it like toddlers at school."

* * *

 **With the main Party, they had relocated to a deserted park area that was close to a hotel. Alter Nico had used his Bracers to look up the cheapest hotels with still decent service, they had stopped at a park area which happened to be near their hotel choice. Although this didn't help the atmosphere around them. Not only did it seem thick and heavy, but the cause of it was walking behind them, refusing to look at anyone's gaze. They weren't sure they would want him to, though, especially with what they've just saw.**

 **Right now, they were sitting in the Park, along several benches. Nico had opted to take a separate bench so the girls didn't have to risk being near him, while the girls huddled up on one bench to discuss what had happened. "Well… that was eventful…" Compa started off awkwardly as she held her elbow with her hand, memories of what transpired in the Basilicom filling her mind, even the parts that scared her. Worse still was that those parts consisted of her friend Nico in them. No, he was the centre of them.**

 **"You can say that again…" IF agreed with a nod, her expression troubled. She, along with likely the rest of the party, had never seen Nico act like that. True he would scold Neptune whenever she did something wrong, her leaving them for food being a prime example, but what happened back in the Basilicom was way more than just irritation. It was straight up murderous bloodlust. Such killing intent, the ferocity he had in his eyes even when she tried to stop him… she had never seen something like that from him before, and to be frank, she was more than a little bit shaken from the experience.**

 **Heck, even Neptune, the normally funny, joking type of person who tried to make comedy to lessen the atmosphere no matter if it was appropriate or not, was silent as she tried to recover from the Killing Intend that Nico radiated. If someone like her was rattled to the levels she was by something, then that something must be dealt with. IF did not like the subdued look on her face right now, it just… didn't fit the girl that she had come to know as a pudding addicted idiot.**

* * *

"Wow... i'll admit, I didn't expect this: even the other Nep is surprised." IF commented, slightly taken aback by the reaction the other Neptune had towards the whole thing, though she kind of got why though. "I guess that its pretty reasonable though, since Nico so far showed himself as someone whose calm and collected... but back there he almost became the exact opposite."

"You can say that again, my dear Iffy..." Vert added, before cooing as she appeared behind the brunette and wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling the back of her head into her own cleavage. "Now, would you do the same for me if somebody slandered myself or my Nation in front of you?"

"Wha?! Wh-Wh-Why-yes! Yes, of course!"

"Ufufufufu, that makes me happy, Iffy. Now, have this reward, gehehehe…"

Seeing as how IF nearly got herself suffocated when Vert pulled her even closer into her fleshy prison through the 'slight' gap between them, Blanc glared at her with bloody murder written on her face. She looked like she wanted to rip something in two... or rather, two somethings. Nevertheless, she held her temper in check since she didn't want to give the massive CPU any more room to tease her. Her sisters and former Oracle had told her that restraining her temper would help her get back at the blonde bimbo since she liked getting her reactions to their 'differences'.

Apparently, it worked since Vert slightly pouted before she resumed her seat (it WASN'T due to Histoire looking at her similarly invoking a near loss of her bladder control, nope, not at all).

* * *

 **To get to the bottom of this, IF then turned her gaze to the source of the problem, who looked as depressed as hell. His hair hung over his head, shadowing his eyes and keeping them from sight. His hands hung over his kneecaps by the wrists and he had a defeated aura around him. Slowly, she stood up and walked over to him, careful not to make a move that would only startle him and make things worse.**

 **Standing opposite him, IF frowned as she placed her hands on her hips. "Alright Nico, spill it. what the heck was wrong with you back there? You normally conduct yourself better than that. I mean, you practically would have killed that guy, not that he didn't deserve it," she had to admit that to herself, before she continued. "If it were a thug or something like that I wouldn't care much, but what you did potentially made things impossible for us to get to-"**

 **"I know, I screwed up, okay!" Nico finally couldn't take it anymore and lashed out, causing IF to jump and shut her mouth as he looked up at her. "I get it, okay, IF? But still, you have every right to be mad at me. I… I just couldn't handle what that man was going to do to a comrade of mine. It rubbed me the wrong way when he was about to hit her for just being cordial despite his treatment." He spat, fury laced within his words although it wasn't as bad as before. "Still though," he then did a bitter, empty chuckle as his eyes showed no mirth at all. "I bet you 10 puddings that he didn't even have a wife or something."**

* * *

In unison, each of the girls snickered and shuddered at the same time, not sure how to feel about that man having a married martial status for what he had said to their friend, as well as the amusement at how unlikely that would have been.

Well, except for Noire (and Histoire who just looked plain uncomfortable) , who grinned knowingly behind a hand covering her mouth, since she had found out that his wife had filed for divorce that same day due to some... interesting circumstances, lets just say that. They didn't even have ONE good date, not one either, which spoke enough.

* * *

 **While that prospect did succeed in making IF twitch her brows, it was still a heavy atmosphere. Nico sighed as he looked down at his right Bracer. "I sent a message to the Guild back in Planeptune about a hunch I had on why I was acting that way, and just a couple minutes ago when we entered the park, I got an answer." He explained, and this time both Neptune and Compa gave him their attention, despite their earlier fears.**

 **"Remember my armour? When I said that it was an important part pf my arsenal, turns out it was a gross understatement. The piece that is usually on my chest, you know, the armour module?" he asked, patting his chest for empathises as he turned to them. At the nods of confirmation from the girls, he continued. "Well, turns out that it was also acting as a suppressor. It constantly injected me with self-replenishing drugs designed to suppress and control my instincts. Apparently, my instincts are more powerful than the average person, and twice as impactful on my emotions. Thus, I feel things like anger, bloodlust etc more easily. Therefore, they had the armour designed to act as a suppressor… it would be more accurate to say a limiter. And now that the limiter is gone… the beast was unleashed in the worse way possible."**

 **Comprehension lit up in IF's eyes as she out the pieces together in her mind. "And when you lost that limiter, you began feeling your instincts in their entirety?" she asked, getting a firm nod from the male. The brunette looked down, eyes wide with disbelief as she held her forehead with her hand. she remembered what he was like just before they left for Lastation, how he growled like an animal. She should have guessed it right then and there that something wasn't right with him. She groaned to herself while palming her forehead and shaking her head with a hand on her hip. "Jesus, this is serious, Nico. Why did the Guild not do something while they were making the armour, like give you drugs or something? It's pretty irresponsible to leave someone like that to their own devices, literally anything could be enough to set them onto a murderous blood rage."**

 **The male nodded his head in agreement with the brunette, he too was displeased with the lack of conduct from the Guild there. "You'd be right on the money, IF. However, they couldn't for one reason: the drugs that are used to help me with my instincts are difficult to maintain, not to mention with how the monsters have been attacking supply routes, makes it even worse. The soonest they can send me some replacement drugs, which are said to last a day at most, will be in a couple days, time. Until then, I'll be on my own." he explained.**

 **"And why did they neglect to tell you of this?" she questioned again. This was an important matter, to leave someone alone to deal with their instincts like tat was NOT something the Guild should have done. they should have at least found a way to make it easier on him, but that wasn't the only thing that IF was pissed at. She was also pissed tat they didn't bother to tell him about something so crucial. If she hadn't been around, that guy would have lost his life to Nico at that moment, and while she wouldn't mind personally, it would make their quest for the Key Fragments IMMENSELY more complicated.**

 **For a moment, he didn't answer. Soon though, that changed when understanding shone from his eyes as Nico motioned the same as she did, minus the hand on hip part. "Because the Drugs work better when I'm not aware of them. The Drugs would work if I was, but my body would show signs of rejecting them if that happened. Thus, they were placed without my knowledge, altered so that they cloaked' from my body's senses so they could work properly. My body is host to some powerful antibodies, forged from adapting to extreme conditions. It would take the strongest of poisons to affect someone like me, but that also applies to drugs." Nico explained.**

 **What he didn't say was that it was because of his condition that drugs and poisons wouldn't normally work on him, as normally they would be purged before they could affect him.**

* * *

"Huh..." Compa thought, furrowing her brows again as she heard both his explanation along with his monologue. "I don't like that he's keeping this condition of his a secret... why can't he tell the other uses?"

"Pretty sure that's meant to be 'us' with an 'es' like with 'buses' as in plural..." Neptune remarked, though she also agreed with her friendly Nurse on the whole keeping secrets thing.

Vert then interjected whilst Blanc lost herself in the story once more, if the stars twinkling in her eyes were any indication. Part of her wondered if she would try to get hit by truck kun and get isekaid into this story or something just as bizarre... hey, this WAS a crazy world they lived in, it could happen. "Keeping secrets is a natural thing do, Neptune, Compa. People do it for all kinds of reasons, and from what I can see there must be something DANGEROUS about this 'condition' he's talking about.

"Not like it would work with everyone though, ESPECIALLY not me Neptune, so don't even try to keep secrets. I will KNOW." Histoire warned when she saw a glimmer appear in the preteen CPU's eyes, one which Histoire knew from living with her meant she had been up to something. Even as the look quickly vanished with a 'cat caught the canary' look replacing it, the Oracle felt it wise to keep an eye on the events of history in book form for a while after this.

* * *

 **"I see…"**

 **Now that the girls were aware of the situation from Nico's perspective, they felt a stab of guilt enter their beings. They knew he was telling the truth as Nico always held his word in high regard, he always kept his promises which made him trustworthy. But it didn't help them feel any less guilty for fearing him. It wasn't his fault that his instincts were powerful, and heck, thinking back on it they had already seen glimpses of their power and influence before whenever Nico fought. Even suppressed, they were still strong enough to warn him of any danger, and usually were correct in deductions. They also enhanced his reaction times, making him a difficult opponent on the battlefield.**

 **"Anyways, I'm… I'm sorry I scared you all. It was not my intention, and if you would like I will leave the party and act on my own. you wouldn't have to worry about someone as unstable, as fucked up a piece of shit, as me being around you. I bet the demographic for this franchise would be accepting of that sort of thing anyways…" he began, making to leave the Park and find somewhere else to stay for the time being. It would be for the best if they didn't spend too much time about him, that was what he was thinking right now. He had to find a way to keep a lid on his instincts, otherwise he... wasn't sure what he might end up showing them. For the first time in a long while, Nico felt depression hang over him like a cloak of darkness. He could feel that voice in his dreams laughing maniacally as skeletal hands clawed away at his mental defences, trying to reach him, to pull him into the madness...**

* * *

"Whoooo-hoho, that's some dark emo stuff right there." Neptune stated, her eyes becoming white circles as some REALLY bad shivers travelled up her spine. Something about those words reminded her of that nightmare which Nico got shown to be having back in Planeptune near the story's beginning... and she DIDN'T like it one bit. "Dude, don't run off! Ya know my other won't let ya go that easy, she won't let a little jumpscare finish this deal! That's no way for a Main Character to be!"

The rest, even Blanc, silently nodded in agreement with varying levels of anxiety and nervousness on their faces... though a couple (IF and Noire), levelled stern glares at the purplette for some of her meta talk.

* * *

 **However, the feeling of arms wrapping around him by the waist from behind stopped him in his tracks** (Proving the preteen right, prompting some cheers from her that Histoire stopped with some... methods best left unseen for the sake of everyone's sanity... as well as their bladders) **just after he had taken 4 steps. His eyes widened and Nico swerved his head around so he could see who it was that hugged him, to find that it was both Compa and Neptune. their heads were buried into his back, so he couldn't see their faces, but Nico didn't have to, for their grips were enough to show him their response to his suggestion. "No, don't go Nicky…" Neptune began as she looked up at him, his eyes shrinking to the size of dots when he saw tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. "We don't want you to leave like that."**

 **"Nep-Nep's right." Compa added, nodding in agreement. She too was in a state akin to Neptune's, which shocked him more. Weren't those two girls fearing him earlier? Why the sudden change of opinion? Surely, they didn't value him that much, did they? "It's not Ni-Ni's fault, you weren't aware of how much you needed the armour. That meanie in the Basilicom is also at fault, he shouldn't have acted the way he did."**

 **His awestruck expression was on full power as he regarded the two girls before him, then he looked up at IF, wondering what her impression was going to be. At first, he expected her to be like he had assumed, all hateful and wanting of him to leave the party and never to go near them again, however he was proven wrong when his eyes laid upon the compassionate smile on her lips and the kindness in her gaze. "Yeah well, I can't argue with them there. While I'm not saying we aren't completely over it yet, we're not going to blame you for it. We'll just have to work around this problem, like a real party should." She said, showing her decreasing fear by grasping her shoulder. He could feel the lack of tension on her hand, which showed him that her words were more than just empty promises and compliments, that she meant them.**

* * *

"Hmph, well said other me."

"YEAH, WHAT YOU SAID, IFFY!" X2

"Quiet you fuckers! Or do you want me to fucking smash your blocks with my mallet again?!"

"Eek! We're sorry!"

* * *

 **Hearing their words and feeling their grip, Nico felt helpless to resist them. He didn't even want to resist, why would he? The people who he had assumed didn't want him around showed him the compassion so few showed others these days, and for a Spec Ops Agent like him, who had seen so much shit in his career that led to him becoming jaded in the ways of the world, that meant more to him than even all the credits in the world, or a harem of the most gorgeous girls ever brought into this existence.**

 **Slowly, the male's arms shakily rose, heading towards their backs. They were only slow because he feared they would still be scared enough to tense, but they never did. Finally, his body just went 'fuck it' and embraced the three tightly, though not enough to be uncomfortable. "You three…. You're freaking angels, you know that?" he whispered under his breath, but the gratitude he was trying to express could be felt as clear as crystal. In fact, he didn't think gratitude was enough of an adjective to showcase the joy flooding him right now.**

* * *

POOF!

Cue some blushes from the girls as well, with Neptune laughing awkward. "Ah shucks, he's really trying with this dialogue, huh?" she mused rubbing the back of her head, not used to such comments herself. "Though it'll take MORE than that to get ma Nep-bod, I have HIGH standard requirements after all!"

Compa shuddered on her seat as she imagined what her other must be thinking, whilst what Nico had declared to them, especially the angel part, got a small giggle out of her. "hehehehe, aww that's sweet of him to say." she commented in a flattered tone. "BAI did mention that the MC was a sweetie, but I wasn't expecting this..."

IF chuckled in amusement as she crossed her arms and legs, a light pink hue on her face as she tried to retain her cool girl image. And succeeding for the most part. "I get the impression this guy can be a damn Casanova..." Yet despite her normal distaste for this kind of thing, IF could still see the effort that the author put in to showing the affection Nico apparently had for them.

The rest of the girls simply looked at the quartet before continuing the story.

* * *

 **The three girls blushed, IF not so much as the other two, whereas Compa was bright red the same as Neptune. They felt their hearts skip a beat not only at the embrace, which gave them a good feel of his developed yet slim six-pack body, but also the pure honesty in his compliments. Girls liked to be complimented, sure enough, but they liked it even better when they are truthful and sincere.**

 **And those words were very much so.**

 **"Aww geez!" Neptune exclaimed as they all broke the hug. She wrapped her arms around herself while wiggling her hips to stem the growing flustered emotions within her. "You're bold Nicky, trying to increase the points with us to get our routes unlocked." She told him in a teasing manner. Meanwhile Nico tilted his head in confusion, wondered what the heck he was talking about.**

 **Turning to Compa. Nico would have asked her what the heck Neptune was talking about when his questions were silenced by what he saw. Apparently, Compa was in a similar state to Neptune with her eyes darting around and a blush on her face, never meeting his gaze. "N-Nep-Nep's right, Ni-Ni, that was bold of you…and very sweet… so, I wouldn't mind it…if you complimented us more…" she stammered, getting redder and redder.**

 **IF put a hand on her hip, thankfully not as flustered as the others though a small smirk was present on her features. "Man dude, you have got to be some ladies' man with flattery like that. You say that to any girls you meet, or what?" she teased him, amused and more than a little flattered by his words.**

 **The male flushed slightly in embarrassment and looked to the side, trying to keep his cool but failing miserably. "N-No, I don't do that. And what do you mean ladies' man, I'm one of the l-l-lesser known Spec Ops Agents in the force." He stuttered, trying to deny her claims of him being a lady's man, which resulted in the girls chuckling at him in amusement. It was bad enough that he'd seen how a lot of males treated women as objects for sexual pleasure, but the few that he'd seen form harems…. Don't exactly treat them with the respect they deserve. They only think of the pleasurable side of the arrangement while not giving a damn about the emotional aspect.**

 **Men can be stupid. Period.**

* * *

"True." All the girls declared as well, and lets leave it at that.

* * *

 **After chuckling at the embarrassed Nico's expense, the party began to move on to other matters. Or rather, they moved on to the matter of the Basilicom and its staff members. "Well I never!" Neptune exclaimed, fists shaking as she held them to her chest. She looked really pissed off when she remembered the rest of that incident now that she wasn't scared as much from Nico's behaviours. "Nicky flipping out is one thing, the Basilicom is another, but Iffy, you're the hat trick! Why'd we leave?!"**

 **"Aside from Mr rage quitter over here, didn't you notice? He didn't show any respect at all towards their CPU." IF replied, while glancing at the male when she mentioned the first part. The said teen blushed while scratching his jaw. Now that they knew about his instincts, Nico would need to be careful. When he said they suppressed and controlled his instincts, it wasn't a lie, but he didn't tell them everything just yet. These instincts were all part of a package he had been burdened with, a package he wouldn't want anyone to have. Though, if they kept proving themselves like this then he'd tell them once he got his memories back.**

 **The moment he heard the CPU part however his face morphed into one of heavy suspicion.**

 **"On that we can agree, plus trying to hurt your guests when they just want to meet the CPU? Now that's a low blow. Such acts in Planeptune would be considered heresy and the offender would be kicked out the Basilicom forever. Yet the others didn't even bat an eye." He said, expanding the point further than the brunette did. Looking down, Nico kicked a small pebble away from his foot as he tried to think of ways that could explain this.**

* * *

"Huh... this is sort of expanding a bit on what you said back then, IF." Histore remarked thoughtfully, her interest piqued by Nico's words about how Planeptune's Basilicom in this story seems to operate. She could actually see this kind of thing being actually legit too, since the humans are really devoted to Neptune in her home Nation, to the point of emulating some of her behaviour like being welcoming and relaxed most of the time... although nobody dared to be lax too much since their colleagues or bosses in the workplace would be on their asses, sort of like Histoire replicas.

'Hmmm... more versions of myself, eh...?'

Just then, an idea popped into her mind, causing her to wonder down a particular thought process... one which caused Neptune to shudder to herself for a reason unknown to her.

* * *

 **"Ni-Ni's right, they didn't treat the Goddess' name with respect. That's weird…" Compa added in support, a stern glare on her face when she thought about how callously he degraded the name of his own CPU. Being raised around people who loved their CPU, she couldn't fathom the idea of someone like him who would do that.**

 **Hearing Compa's words, Neptune's anger dissolved and a confused expression took its place on her face. "What's so weird? Maybe they're all like buddy-buddy and talk super casual." She suggested while stretching her arms behind her. They were feeling a bit stiff from their lack of use.**

 **Rolling his eyes, Nico destroyed Neptune's suggestion almost immediately. "Well, by buddy-buddy you mean nearly hitting guests, insulting the CPU when she's not even around, not following the standard rules for a Basilicom, then maybe they are." He remarked with heavy sarcasm. It was like a drug, and he had taken an overdose of it.**

 **"Well, while Nico does have a point," IF began before Neptune could refute his logic. The Guild Agent did admit to herself that Neptune's idea was certainly stupid, especially after what they just experienced. She was thinking that Neptune was likely a scatterbrain when she fell out of the sky. "There's no way people in the Land would call their CPU by name. remember the person at the Planeptune Basilicom?"**

* * *

"Heeeeeey, i'm no scatterbrain!"

"... Several pieces of evidence to the contrary, Nep."

"Hmph, your no fun, Iffy! I'll not be sharing my pudding with you then!"

"Never had any interested in that from the start, you idiot."

* * *

 **'Oh yeah, that closet lolicon who regarded Neptune a little too much to be professional…' Nico thought to himself, sitting on the ground as everyone else had done the same after him nearly leaving the Party. IF and Compa were on the Bench with Neptune sitting on the dirt. So, he had sat opposite her. "That guy and this guy… if I were to choose between the two I'd go with the former." He remarked while cupping his chin in thought. In his eyes, the former was the lesser of 2 evils, otherwise he'd go with neither.**

 **IF nodded her head at Nico's words, knowing that they were true and knowing that the other two idiots wouldn't have any idea of what he meant. "He was weird, but he still respected the CPU by addressing her properly." She explained. Nico had to admit, that was true. Despite his closet lolicon fetish, and the fact that he seemed to not like Nico for some reason, he still was a better man than the one in Lastation's Basilicom. At least he didn't insult the CPU and treated the guests with kindness… maybe a little too much.**

 **"But here," IF's brows furrowed and her eyes darkened. "They're just treating the CPU with scorn. That isn't normal." On that the male and her could agree, again. Usually people revered the CPUs, almost to the point of being fanatics. There was hardly anyone who had something negative to say about them even with them fighting a war for hundreds of years. So, to see people who were supposed to worship a CPU act in such a blatant disrespectful manner, contributed to the behavioural term as 'not normal.'**

 **Compa frowned before an idea came to her, one that revolved around the Guild Agent when she remembered what the brunette did for a living. "Iffy, you were travelling all over the world, right? Do you know something?" she asked. Compa had the right idea, for someone who supposedly travelled around a lot, they would know more than others about the situations in different lands.**

 **Unfortunately, that seemed to not be the case when IF shook her head no. "Sorry, Compa." She apologised with a guilty smile, saddening the Nurse-In-Training. "I've mostly stayed in Planeptune, so I don't have any info now." she explained further. Though it didn't seem to elevate Compa's mood upwards, to her dismay.**

* * *

"Pretty sure its kiiiiinda illegal to be forging resumes like this, Iffy. Though you lucked out since it was mwah who found out."

IF simply threw one of hr Qatars, barely missing Neptune's head as the blade impaled the cushion behind her.

Needless to say, Neptune took the hint and shut up, whilst several snickers filled the room at the preteen's misfortune.

Compa did get the weapon and give it back to the brunette, though.

* * *

 **'Ouch, IF. Looks like you haven't travelled as much as I thought…' Nico mused to himself, though he didn't say anything since he didn't want to offend her. After all, she had done well in other areas like helping him endure these girls' antics.**

 **Though his efforts were soon turned into vain ones in the next few moments. Just when things couldn't get any more embarrassing for the brunette, Neptune saw a prime time to make it worse. With a grin only a Cheshire cat could have, the girl commented on what they just heard. "So much for the "adventuring" character, eh Iffy? But don't worry, we won't kick you out just because you faked your resume! Even if your level is low, we'll still be together, even in the next story sequel."**

 **The other three gave Neptune deadpanned stares for her comment, though she didn't seem affected by it. IF gave her a growl though as she crossed her arms and retorted with her usual snarky comments. "Kind of ironic coming from someone who lost their memory, eh?" she shot back. She then huffed while sternly glaring at her.**

 **This made the preteen laugh nervously realising that her attempt at teasing had backfired when she finally noticed everyone's reactions. "Ahahahaha, sorry." She apologised while trying to stem the tension growing throughout the vicinity.**

 **While she did want to hammer the one who had teased her like that some more, IF knew that had bigger fish to fry like the Basilicom and the mystery behind it. So, with a sigh she calmed herself down and became the signal for the rest to do the same. "Anyways, back on subject. I propose we do some quests, but how about it?" she suggested.**

 **Neptune raised a brow at this, finding it confusing that they would have to do quests so soon. "We have money, right?" she asked, getting nods from everyone else. "Why do we need to do quests now?" her eyes widened with shock when her brain processed an 'idea' as to why they would have to quest so early. "Oh wait!" she raised her right arm and quickly pointed it accusingly at the brunette. "did you use up all our funds for your own pleasures?!"**

* * *

"You know..." Histoire began whilst holding her forehead with one hand, looking like she had just recovered from some kind of head surgery. "Sometimes I wonder what its like in Neptune's brain, is it more chaotic than her own mannerisms? I sometimes wonder… and at the same time I'd rather not find out."

IF glanced over to the Oracle, her eyes showcasing a blank expression. "Pretty sure that counts for all of us, Histoire." she commented, with the rest of them agreeing wholeheartedly.

Much to Neptune's dismay after all.

* * *

 **'Where did she get that from? IF isn't the type of person who would do that.' Nico thought with confusion, but didn't say anything as he was opting to see what IF's reaction would be. Said woman frowned at the accusation, but something in her eye sparked, which caught Nico's attention as did everyone else's. "No. we have plenty of pudding. It's not like I sneak out to buy pudding like you, Nep."**

 **Now THIS caught the male's attention hook line and sinker as he quickly checked their, founds on his Bracer, before levelling a strong glare at the preteen. "So, not only do you sneak off for food, but you steal money from us, too?! Prepare for a BIG scolding when we get to the hotel, young missy!"**

 **Nevertheless, Neptune didn't hear him as she was too busy caught up in the fact that IF had found out about her little 'secret' and had called her out on it. she stepped back and moved her arms as if she was trying to protect herself like in those classic horror movies. "Wha-? Y-y-y-you knew?! Nepu!"**

 **The Brunette nodded with a glare at her, or rather an incredulous stare at the preteen, disbelieving over the fact that she didn't realise that she had been onto her little escapades. "Dead Obvious. You make loud footsteps in the night which I 'think' are your attempts at being quiet. You thought I didn't notice?" she remarked, making the culprit squirm under her gaze.**

 **"Um… yup?"**

* * *

"Heh... Neptune getting roasted. Nice." a savage remark escaped Blanc's lips which had curved into a similar smirk, her eyes gleaming menacingly.

"Nepu… feeling the love here, Blanc."

"Hmph." Noire spoke, choosing not to add on to this conversation since she didn't feel it necessary to.

"Would it be really terrible for me to completely agree with Blanc?" Vert wondered, though she made it loud enough for everyone to hear.

At this point, Compa began to pout adorably. "Please stop bullying Nep-Nep..." she pleaded, although her prayers fell on deaf ears.

* * *

 **"… Anyway, remember the Key Fragment that was with that Disk in Planeptune?" IF changed the topic, mindful of the fact that if she kept this up then she would have eventually tried to wring Neptune's annoying neck. She flushed her anger away and continued. "Don't you think it'll be the same in Lastation, too?"**

 **Nico shook his head as he finally interjected into the conversation. "Not exactly." He spoke, getting everyone's attention as they looked at him. "For one, we're on a different Landmass, which means a different geography, different Dungeons, different monsters, and back in Planeptune there wasn't a heretical Basilicom that'll likely try to hound us every step of the way. I'd guess that we'll have a LOT more trouble with the Key Fragment here than we did in Planeptune. Hell, we weren't actively looking for it there, so now that we are looking for one, it'll likely be harder to find. Things usually are."**

 **Neptune beamed at the two opinions of the 'smarter' members of the party. "You two are geniuses, Nicky, Iffy!" she cheered, getting the two to look at her. She then jumped onto Nico before he could react, wrapping her arms around his neck and hanging off his side. "You're definitely the brains to my brawn, Nicky. Though your bite is as vicious as your bark." She said, referring to Nico's instincts. The male blushed at this, and the close contact he had with this girl, a rare occurrence in his life.**

 **Fortunately, this didn't last long as she let go of him, dropping to the ground before jumping onto IF faster than she could blink. The brunette tried to get her off, but in the end Neptune succeeded in glomping her, hanging onto her from behind. "And I'm sorry for thinking you were useless earlier, Iffy!" she said, rubbing her cheek against hers.**

 **While IF struggled to get the girl off her even more intensely than before, Compa aimed a concerned look towards the preteen as she spoke awkwardly with a sweat drop, for the first time during this topic. "Um, Nep-Nep, I don't think you needed to bring up that last part…"**

 **Nico watched this interaction with mild amusement. While he was still going to scold her for what she had done before, Nico couldn't help but smile at how close Neptune was becoming with the Guild Agent, though if it was returned was yet to be seen. She was just that kind of girl, showering her friends with affection. Though in his mind, he did think that calling IF useless wasn't very nice. 'She's going to have that added to the 'naughty list' of crimes she has to pay for when we get to the Hotel…' the male thought while hiding his frown behind a smirk. One could tell when they considered his eyes that he planned to have his own 'vengeance' against Neptune in a way that she would come to fear.**

* * *

"Looks like that's the end of the chapter." IF commented as the projection ended, though before she could do anything more the projector suddenly whirred to life, a new screen taking place in a manner not unlike that of a few chapters ago. This caused her to arch a brow. "Huh, another Special Event, eh?"

"Oooh, lets see, lets see!" Neptune cheered in excitement, bouncing up and down.

Vert put an index finger over her chin. "Hmmm, I wonder what the author came up with this time. Feels like he just added these events in just for the humour's sake..." she commented.

"At least they're done rather decently..." Noire commented, though she made sure nobody heard her by saying it under her breath.

"Hm? You say something Noire?"

"N-No, n-nothing at all!"

"..."

Histoire shook her head at their resident Tsundere's antics, all whilst Compa pressed play for the projector.

* * *

 **Special Event - Solid Nep.**

* * *

"Ooooh, this'll be good!" said everyone's Nep.

* * *

 **It was time.**

 **The mission was to begin.**

 **Nothing would stop her from achieving her goal, not Compa, not Nicky, not even Iffy or that scary wool monster hat hides in cute girls bedroom closet.**

 **Clad in her professional black eyepatch, covered by the badassery known as the cardboard box, Solid Nep crawled along the corridor of their hotel, intending to sneak out in the middle of the night to get some more of her pudding fix. Without the others knowing of course.**

 **They could never understand, pudding was love,**

 **Pudding was life,**

 **pudding was... JUSTICE!**

* * *

"Pudding is love, pudding is life, pudding-"

"Stop that, Neptune." IF stated, scowling in the preteen's direction whilst Compa handed her some Pudding to keep her quiet.

"... Is it just me, or is it pick on Neptune day all of a sudden?" Histoire wondered to herself, all the while Blanc put down her newly summoned hammer which she had planned to strike Neptune down with should se continue yapping.

* * *

 **Solid Nep noticed that some stairs were blocking her way, making her hiss in irritation. "Shoot! Enemy obstacle, one flight of stairs. Exercise evasive manoeuvre codename: tip toe!"**

 **Getting on her tip toes, Solid Nep lightly tapped each stair as she tried to make as little noise as possible. She tested the first one, and thank Goddesses that they didn't make much of a creaking sound. She didn't want anyone getting any ideas and try to impede her for getting her Pudding Goodness.**

 **She made it down the first stairway with little issues, but she couldn't celebrate just yet for she heard footsteps from patrolling hotel staff guarding the building from thieves echoing from the corridor's right. Solid Nep quickly shifted to the closest wall and lowered herself, pretending to play dead as a hotel guard walked by. He took one look at the box beside the stairs, scratched his head curiously while muttering something about 'who leaves a box by the stairs?' before continuing on. Not like anyone would trip on it, since it was out of the way, he thought.**

 **Once he was gone, Solid Nep let a low sigh of relief escape her lips. "Threat averted, continuing mission."**

 **Making her way down the floors once more, Solid Nep didn't encounter many more guards, having made sure that things were quiet before making her move. Nothing would stop her from getting her dosage of heaven known as Pudding. Especially that one strawberry flavoured one she wanted to try at that store before that meanie Nicky took her away by force.**

 **Finally, her hard work paid off as she now found herself at the registration room. The room's lights were on, but there was nobody in sight. She paid extra attention to her hearing so she could hear the breaths of any others in the room. Fortunately, she heard nobody's aside from hers, making her believe that she was the only one in the room.**

 **Yes, finally, she could go get some pudding!**

 **That shop should be open still, she could still get a chance!**

 **Now, tip-toe, tip-toe, tip-toe...**

 **ZZZZZT!**

 **"...Eh?"**

 **Solid Nep didn't know why, but suddenly her vision was bombarded with light, making her sole eye go wide as she fell into the fatal position. "Argh! My eye, my eye! s this a flash bomb? Enemy ambush?! But how? The Cardboard box should have been enough!"**

 **Standing above her, looking down at Solid Nep while shaking her head in disappointment, one annoyed, tired, and irritated IF held Solid Nep's Cardboard box above her head. "... You're not pulling that one on me, Nep. Me and Nico heard your mad scrambling out of the room as clear as day." she told Solid Nep, whose eye shot open wide with shock when she realised who it was.**

 **"... Servant Iffy? What are you...?"**

 **BONK!**

 **Unconscious land greeted Solid Nep as IF bonked her on the head, a tick mark on her forehead for the 'servant' comment. "I'm nobody's servant, you idiot." she scowled. Normally she would have kept her col with her antics, but right now IF had had it up to hear with the brat. Thus, after apologising to the receptionist who had been there the whole time, just kept her breathing utterly quiet in a fit of panic, IF dragged the unconscious Solid Nep back to their room. She'd even discarded the carboard box.**

 **MISSION FAILED!**

 **WE'LL GEET EM NEXT TIME!**

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOO! NO PUDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG!" Neptune wailed at the end, rushing forward and trying to grab the projection, only to fail and fall flat on her face behind it. How that happened nobody would have been able to explain, though nobody would have the chance too in a moment.

"... That's it, bitch you're dead! C'MERE!"

Now utterly done with Neptune's crap, Blanc grabbed her Hammer again and proceeded to charge towards her, intending on smashing her head into paste for very nearly ruining the viewing experience. Looking absolutely pale, Neptune quickly got to running for her life, some PTSD Flashbacks of previous instances occurring in her mind of when Blanc got like that with her. Vert watched on with a small amount of amusement in her eyes until she switched into her HDD form upon Blanc calling her an ugly cow whose tits were her only redeemable feature after a comment from Neptune, before joining in the fight. Noire herself stayed out of it, having to exercise the control she'd developed over the years to stop her from doing the same towards the preteen. The rest just stayed out of this one, knowing how intense these fights tend to get when Blanc got mad.

So, as chaos began to unfold, Histoire sneaked herself over (dodging no small amount of projectiles from the three Goddesses) and proceeded to prepare the next chapter. Part of her wondered what would be made different in this story, cause for some time now she had been getting the feeling that this story would soon begin to hit its own stride... where that would go, she could only guess.

* * *

 **Chapter end**

 **Hey guys, new chapter here.**

 **Sorry bout the subpar reactions, but I was having trouble with them. Comedy's not my strongest suit honestly not to mention I was struggling to find funny ideas. If any of you out there are comedy experts could you let me know what you think could be good reactions for the story, that'd be cool and UBER helpful. Also, another idea, but what would you say to Histoire contacting the Histoire of OEG? Like, she gets curious and, after 3 or more so chapters she manages to do so, allowing another version of her to participate in this reading. This way she could offer deeper insight to the characters and show them that this is actually the story of a separate dimension, not just one story. That could be cool, plus it could introduce a whole LOAD of possibilities later down the line. Just an idea though, lemme know what you all think.**

 **Now then,**

 **Peace Out!**


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